A Memory Forgotten
by donna8157
Summary: During a fight Kaoru loses her memory and meets her savior, Seta Soujiro. Will she regain her memory about her life with Kenshin and other friends? --IMPORTANT NOTE-- Kaoru's past revealed..
1. Prologue: Going Back to Kyoto

Disclaimer: RK is not mine. Sigh =(

Scenario: Kaoru loses her memory and meets Seta Soujiro, her savior. Will she regain her memory about Kenshin and the rest of her friends? 

Spoiler: Jinchuu Arc ^_^ .. This fic may be a lil angsty..depending on what I do.

**~A Memory Forgotten~**

            It was a beautiful morning. Kaoru stretched out her arms as she got out of bed. She then started to roll up her futon and pillow and later changed into a gi and yukata to get ready for practice with Yahiko that morning. As she was walking to her door, the screen suddenly slid open. She was face-to-face with her beloved.

"Kaoru-dono, breakfast is . . . " Kenshin paused, surprised to see that Kaoru was already up and ready for the day.

"Kenshin.." Kaoru was pleasantly surprised to see Kenshin at her door and she could feel her cheeks becoming warmer.

"Breakfast is ready." Kenshin finished and quickly went back down the hall.

Kaoru followed him and went to the kitchen. Yahiko and Sanosuke were already at the table seated and ready to eat.

"Ohayo mina." Yahiko and Sanosuke just glanced in her direction and nodded. Then Kaoru went over to Kenshin's side and said with a bright smile on her face, "Good morning Kenshin."

Kenshin replied, "Good morning Kaoru-dono. Please sit down, the food is ready, de gozaru yo."

"Hai." Kaoru went back to the table and sat down.

Once Kenshin brought everyone's food, everyone started eating. After breakfast, Sanosuke left to go see Megumi while Kaoru and Yahiko went to practice. Kenshin walked outside and started to do the laundry. Everything was normal at the Kamiya dojo.

Kenshin was very content. In his mind, he thought, _it's so nice to have everything at peace again. Six months ago, I had just rescued Kaoru from the grips of Yukishiro Enishi. Sano was wanted by the police and Megumi went back to her homeland, Aizu_. _It was pleasant to have Sano and Megumi back in Tokyo. The police had bigger problems on hand, so they had stopped looking for Sanosuke. Megumi, having reunited with her family, decided that she wanted to come back to Tokyo to keep up her medical practice here…and possibly because she had heard that Sagara Sanosuke was back._ Kenshin smirked. He wondered when those two would finally confess to each other their feelings. But then he remembered that he hadn't confessed his love for Kaoru yet either. With a sigh he went back to concentrating on the pending task at hand, the laundry.

Back in the dojo, Kaoru was teaching Yahiko a new kata. As she was watching Yahiko repeat what she had just shown him, she remembered that she had an errand to run in the afternoon. 

"Yahiko, I have to run an errand. For the mean time, practice the kata until I come back."

"Whatever, busu." Yahiko said still concentrating on his execution of the kata.

"Bye Yahiko-chan!"

"DON'T CALL ME CHAN!"

Kaoru stifled a giggle; she could always use that to get a rise out of him. Kaoru went back into her room and changed into a decent kimono and walked outside. She saw Kenshin with his back bent over, arms in the tub doing the laundry. Kaoru smiled, she had missed her rurouni so much when she was held captive on Enishi's island.

"Kenshin! I have an errand to do, I'll be back later."

Kenshin turned his head away from the laundry and looked at Kaoru and smiled his typical rurouni smile. "Alright, Kaoru-dono. Where are you going exactly, if I may ask?" After the whole Enishi incident, he felt he needed to watch out for her 24/7, mainly for his sake if not her. He remembered how he felt when he saw Kaoru's lifeless body in front of him, a cross-scar on her cheek. The pain that he felt then, there would never be words to describe it. Even though he later found out that it was just a doll, the mere idea of losing Kaoru was too painful to fathom.

"I'm going to Akabeko and then to Dr. Genzai's place to see Megumi. I haven't talked to her much since she has come back from Aizu." Kaoru beamed.

"I'll come with you." Kenshin stated as he started to wipe his hands on his apron in order to dry them.

"No, no Kenshin. I'll take care of myself. I'm only going to see Tae and Megumi. I'll be fine! I'm assistant master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, don't forget."

"I know Kaoru, but I'd feel better if I was there with you." Kenshin replied.

Kaoru just sighed and looked at him with her big blue eyes. "Onegai Kenshin. Let me go by myself. I can't always depend on you all the time. Plus, this is such a small task. I'll be back in an hour and a half, maybe even less than that."

Kenshin grunted and thought, _She's right. There are going to be times when I'm not around her side all the time. I have to trust that she's going to be all right. I don't want to smother her._ With this thought in mind he said, "Okay, Kaoru-dono. But please be safe."

Kaoru smiled brightly at this and started walking towards the gate. "Arigato Kenshin. See you for dinner!"

Kenshin smiled worriedly as she walked out of the dojo.

- - - - - - - - - - - 

As Kaoru left the vicinity of the dojo, she let out a huge sigh. _I haven't been outside of the dojo by myself for ages! But I can't blame Kenshin for being so protective of me after what had happened with Enishi. Sigh. He's so handsome. I thought about him so much when I was with Enishi. All I could think was, I wish I had told him my feelings about him instead of keeping it locked up within my heart. However, when I saw Kenshin again walking towards Enishi and me, I was so happy. When he finally defeated him, I thought that I would be able to tell him how I felt, but the words just wouldn't come out of my mouth. A week after the incident, I had finally worked up the courage to tell him. We were sitting outside the porch at night looking into the night sky._

_"Kenshin.." _

_"Hai Kaoru-dono. What's wrong?" Kenshin turned to look into the sapphire blue eyes of the girl who sat next to him._

_"Kenshin, thank you for coming to save me."_

_"I wanted to save you Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said looking intensely into Kaoru's eyes. Kaoru's face started to turn into a reddish hue and her eyes looked down at her feet. Her heart beat rapidly at the thought of what she was going to tell him next. She finally got up the courage to look back into his face._

_"Kenshin, I … I .." Kaoru stammered._

_Kenshin interrupted her by putting his hand on top of her hand. Kaoru blushed even redder. Kenshin gazed into her eyes. "Kaoru-dono, I care about you a lot and I admit that I have strong feelings for you. However, please give this unworthy one some time before. . before .. anything more happens between us. I feel like I need to visit Tomoe's grave again to give her some peace on what happened. Please understand."_

_Kaoru looked up at him and nodded. "I understand, Kenshin. When do you plan to go back to Kyoto?"_

_"Sessha thinks I will go back in six months or so. Once things get back to normal."_

_Kaoru nodded again and squeezed his hand. Kenshin looked at her and smiled. "Thank you Kaoru-dono for understanding. I don't know what this unworthy one did to deserve you."_

_Kaoru blushed and smiled at him. Then they went back to gaze at the bright stars above them._

Sigh Kaoru thought. _He still hasn't gone back to Kyoto, yet. He is probably going to leave soon though. _Her heart ached at the thought that Kenshin was going to be gone for a while.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Kaoru got back to the dojo in the time that she said she would. Kenshin saw her come in and breathed a sigh of relief. Truthfully, ever since she stepped out of the gate, Kenshin had an uneasy feeling because he couldn't stand by and watch her.

"Welcome home, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said once he saw Kaoru taking off her shoes. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Kaoru smiled back at him and said, "Okay Kenshin. I'm going to go take a bath real fast." Kaoru then went to her room to get ready for a bath.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

At dinner, everyone was gathered around the table. Kenshin cleared his throat.

"I'm going to go back to Kyoto tomorrow. I'll only be gone for three days. In the meantime, Sano and Yahiko please look after Kaoru-dono while I'm gone." 

Kaoru looked up at Kenshin. He was leaving her again… but she knew not for long and that he would be back soon. She knew this was something that he needed to do alone. She nodded her head at him showing that she understood what he was saying.

Everyone ate quietly after the announcement. When all the dishes and bowls were cleaned, Kaoru approached Kenshin while he was sitting on the porch. She sat down next to him. 

"Kenshin." Kaoru whispered.

"Hai. Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin turned around to look up at Kaoru's face and smiled.

"I'll miss you. Please be safe and come back soon." Kaoru continued. She could feel her eyes getting watery.

"I will miss you too Kaoru-dono. I'll come back soon. Don't worry." Kenshin looked at her lovingly.

With that said, he embraced her. 

- 

- 

- 

- To be continued

Please read and review!! The real plot doesn't happen till the next chapter. =D I don't know if it's going to be K/K or Sou/Kaoru because I like Soujiro a lot ^_^ hehe .. and there are not that many fics with that particular pairing. Okay, thnx. 


	2. Ambushed!

Disclaimer: RK is not mine =(

**~A Memory Forgotten~**

**Chapter 1**

            The next morning Kaoru got up and out of bed. _Yawn. _Then she stifled her yawn, remembering what had happened last night. _Kenshin! _She quickly ran out of her room and down the hall to Kenshin's room. She slid open the door and found that the room was already empty. Her head tipped down in disappointment. She walked over to his futon, already rolled up, and kneeled beside it.  She put her hand on the bedding and slowly stroked it. Tears were starting to form underneath her eyelids. Looking at the futon she thought, _It still smells like Kenshin_. Thinking more about her rurouni made her even more tearful. She blinked back her tears. _What's wrong with you Kaoru! He'll be back in three days! He promised._ She nodded her head in agreement to further commit this belief into her head.

            Kaoru, with a renewed strength, got up from her kneeling position and walked over to the door. With one last look at the room, she walked out. She went back to her bedroom and changed into her gi and hakama. Then, she went down the hallway and into the kitchen. Yahiko was already eating his breakfast of miso soup. 

_Kenshin made breakfast before he left!_ Kaoru thought. Yahiko turned his head back and looked at Kaoru. 

"Hey busu! What are you staring at?" Yahiko stated with his mouth full of food.

Kaoru was instantly dragged out of her daze. 

"Who are you calling busu, Yahiko-chan?!?!?" Kaoru said with her fists on her hips and foot tapping the wooden dojo floor.

"Who else is a busu here?" Yahiko lashed back. Kaoru mysteriously pulled a bokken from the air and hit Yahiko on the head. 

  
"I hope you're ready for today's training, Yahiko-CHAN!" Kaoru stated with her eyes twitching a little bit. With this, Yahiko grumbled underneath his breath and stayed quiet throughout the rest of breakfast. Seeing that the boy was going to behave, Kaoru kneeled down and started to eat her breakfast.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Okay Yahiko, I think this is enough training for today. Practice the new kata that I taught you and we'll do it again tomorrow." Kaoru said looking at Yahiko. _The boy is a fast learner. He has the new kata already down. Or maybe it's because I'm such a great kendo teacher. _Hehe. Kaoru smiled at this thought.

"Hey hag. I'm going to Akabeko to work." Yahiko stated breathlessly while putting away his bokken. The training was really hard today and his body was sweating heavily.

Kaoru didn't hear him because she was still lost in her own thoughts. She woke up from her thoughts when she heard the screen door slide open. 

"Oi! Jou-chan!" Sano bellowed as he started to walk towards her with a piece of fishbone in his mouth.

"Sanosuke?" Kaoru said unsurely while turning her head back because she was still halfway between her thoughts and reality.

"Hey tori-atama look after busu while I go to work okay?" Yahiko asked.

"Who are you calling a tori-atama, Yahiko-CHAN?" Sanosuke yelled.

"DON'T CALL ME CHAN!" With that Yahiko jumped on top of Sano's head and started biting his hair.

"Maa, maa. I can take care of myself." Kaoru stated. "I'm not a little girl."

Sano turned back and looked at her. "We know Jou-chan, but you know how Kenshin is. I don't want to get into another fight with him."

"Mou!" Kaoru exclaimed with her fists tightening along her sides. She stomped back to her room. It looked as if steam was coming out of both her ears.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

            As evening approached, Kaoru sat on the porch with Sano. The sky was so beautiful with purple and pink hues. She wished that Kenshin were by her side.

"Hey Sano, where do you think Kenshin is now?" Kaoru asked with her hands cupped along her chin.

"Probably still on the boat? Don't ask me jou-chan." Sano exclaimed.

Kaoru let out a sigh. "Shouldn't Yahiko be back by now?"

"Maybe he's getting to know Tsubame more." Sano smiled slyly. Kaoru punched his arm.

"Oi Jou-chan. Come on." Sanosuke said trying to hide the pain that was shooting up from his right arm.

"I'm going to look for him." Kaoru exclaimed while getting up and brushing the dust off of her kimono.

"Okay. Ikuso." Sano said while approaching the gates of the dojo. Kaoru followed along.

- - - - - - - - - -  - -

Meanwhile at the roads near Akabeko

"Thanks Tsubame for the food. I would starve the next three days because Kenshin isn't here." Yahiko said with his hand scratching the back of his head. Tsubame looked up at him and blushed.

"You're welcome, Yahiko-kun." Tsubame said smiling shyly with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Well, I better get back before busu gets worried." Yahiko started to turn around and walk back in the direction of the Kamiya dojo.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow Yahiko-kun!" Tsubame exclaimed while waving good-bye at him.

"Bye Tsubame!" Yahiko said in a large voice and a smile with his head turned back towards her. Then he focused on the road again as he made his way home. He drowned himself in thoughts about Tsubame and him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Mou! That Yahiko. Where is he?" Kaoru said through her teeth.

"Calm down jou-chan. We'll probably find him in a little bit." Sano said with his arms behind his head as he continued to chew on the fishbone in his mouth.

Kaoru looked at the road ahead of her. She knew that Yahiko would be fine, but her motherly instincts kept her worried. At the corner of her eye she saw some sort of movement. She turned her head and squinted her eyes to get a better look, but to her dismay saw nothing and no one there. Kaoru continued down the road to Akabeko when she saw a small figure walking towards them. Kaoru stopped in her tracks.

Sanosuke seeing that Kaoru had stopped looked at her face to see what she was looking at. He smiled. It was Yahiko.

"Hey Yahiko! Where were you? You got our Jou-chan here all worried." Sano said in a loud enough voice for Yahiko to hear.

"Feh! Busu always gets worried over –" Yahiko's eyes went wide and he staggered forward.

"Yahiko!!" Kaoru and Sanosuke screamed and ran towards him. Sano stopped mid-run and looked around him. Who did it to him? In the corner of his eye, he saw a figure crouching near the trees.

"Jou-chan, there's someone here." With that said, Sano started running towards the attacker.

As Kaoru approached Yahiko, she saw him with his eyes half open. She shook his little body.

"Yahiko! Yahiko!"

"Bu-bu .. d-d-art." Yahiko muttered trying to point to the dart that was stuck to the back of his upper left arm. Kaoru's eyes grew wide and jerked her head towards Sanosuke.

"Sano! He's shooting darts!" Kaoru screamed.

Sanosuke heard her and dodged one of the darts that came flying towards him. "Heh. You can't get me by throwing flying projectiles at me. Get ready to get your ass kicked wimp! Come out and fight like a man!" Sano bellowed. Just as he said this, a dart flew from behind him. It hit his back. There was another guy with him! It was too late, Sano already started to stumble on his feet. His eyes slowly flickered, he tried to keep them open.

"Jou…Jou-chan…there's two. Run!" Sano yelled trying to keep consciousness. 

Kaoru having heard this got into her battle stance. She took out her bokken and put it in front of her in defense mode. "Who's there? Come out! What do you want?" Kaoru yelled trying to keep her cool. Her hands were shaking, but she tried her best to keep them steady so she could hold the bokken tightly in her grip. She wouldn't let the attacker win.

One of them jumped towards her and took out his katana. "Let me take this one." The first attacker said with a snicker. She couldn't make out his face because he had a black mask covering both his eyes and nose. 

"Don't hurt her. The boss said to bring her back alive." The second attacker said. "Just tranquilize her with the dart."

The first attacker said, "No. I want to have some fun."

Kaoru took note of what was happening around her. "What do you want?" But she just heard some laughter ... that really annoyed her. But what annoyed her even more was the fact that she was wearing a kimono. She couldn't move as agilely as she would like. _I guess I'll just have to deal with this,_ she thought. In a split second the first attacker was only inches from her and took a slash. She dodged and rolled out of the way. _Whew, that was close_. She wasn't sure how to approach this because she knew that the other attacker was standing by the side with darts in his hand. How could she win this? Her determination was strong and she knew she had to. _Kenshin .. I won't be his weakness._

-

-

-

- To be continued

Thanks for the reviews =) They're really inspiring. Soujiro will be about Kaoru's age, two or three years older though I think. He'll be coming up in the next chapter. Umm..I'll try to make it a K/K fic, but someone will end up getting hurt in the end. It may be a little angsty (even though I don't really like angst), but I'll try to make it as light-hearted as possible. Keke thnx..

Special thanks to: Uenki, Princess of Darkness and me, Sanosuke Sagara, Nicky, and wolfpack =)


	3. The Boy Who Smiles

Disclaimer: RK is not mine =( even though I wish it was. . hehe

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 2**

_Kenshin .. I won't be his weakness. _And with that thought she was ready for the oncoming attack.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - 

Her attacker stood about ten feet away from her in his attack stance. It was similar to Gatotsu, Kaoru thought.  _Something is different about it though. _The attacker heaved his sword towards her in a rapid motion. She defended it by taking her bokken and thrusting it to the side of the attack. Metal hit wood. Both of their eyes met. None letting themselves blink. He tried to push the katana towards her neck, but his strength was surprising to him.

_This is a girl! She's not supposed to be this strong!_ The first attacker thought.

The girl was starting to sweat. She would not be able to hold off his katana for long for her strength was diminishing n bit by bit. She had to think of an alternative method. She slid her bokken to the side quickly catching the masked attacker by surprise. Because of the amount of pressure and strength he was using to thrust the katana towards her, he stumbled when the force was gone. This gave her a chance to attack him.

She swung her bokken around and hit him in the back in a sweeping motion. The strength and force knocked him onto the floor. 

_Yatta! _She thought. However, she was still on guard. She looked for the other man. _ I can't see him!! Where did he go?, she thought. She scanned the entire area, squinting her eyes to look for the second attacker. In the corner of her she saw a shadow moving rapidly towards her. She got ready to strike. When she turned to face the attacker straight on, she felt something hit her in the back of her neck. _Were there three of them?_ She thought. The last thing she saw before crumbling to the hard ground were a pair of blue eyes._

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **

Yahiko was on the ground and started to regain consciousness. _Where am I_, he thought. He started to have feeling in his hands and arms again. He groggily turned to the side. He saw two masculine figures, one with a katana and the other jumping away from him. _Where's busu? Where's Sano?_, he started to panic. He tried to move, but his legs wouldn't allow him to. The serum in the dart had not worn off yet. He was helpless. Yahiko turned his attention back to the scene at hand. He watched as the masked attacker was struck on the head with the hilt of the sword by the other one, a man wearing a blue gi. As the moonlight shone on him, he found himself looking at a boy who was smiling. The exhaustion of his earlier movements overtook him as he drifted back to sleep.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The young boy looked at the masked man as his knees gave way and fell onto the floor. The boy didn't know what he was doing. Why did he help her? He had been wandering for over a year now and his travels brought him to Tokyo. During that time, he had not come to an answer yet. 

_Who was right, Shishio or Kenshin?, _the boy thought to himself. _Do the strong live and the weak die? Or is it that the strong need to protect the weak? He was befuddled by his actions. The girl was weak, she couldn't protect herself from the attackers. Yet he had protected her. When he saw what was unfolding before him, he acted on instinct. He had watched as the girl had defended herself from the first attacker, but when he saw the second one shooting a dart towards her, he ran to save her. He didn't allow himself to ponder more on his thoughts because it would only make him more confused._

He took the two masked attackers and bound their wrists so that the police could deal with them later. He saw three bodies on the floor. _What am I going to do with them?, he thought. After more thinking he decided to carry them to the doctor. _

He walked over to the girl and picked her up in his arms. _I like this feeling of warmth, he thought to himself. He carried her down the road and asked the townspeople where the doctor was located. _

"Excuse me sir, I have three people that need to be treated by a doctor. They were attacked and they were hit by darts. Could you tell me where the doctor is located?" the man in the blue gi asked.

Once he asked this, the body he was holding was starting to move slightly. He looked down at her. Her eyes started to flutter open little by little. The young man was surprised when his eyes met a similar pair of sapphire blue eyes gazing back at him. _Her eyes are so captivating_, he thought. He closed his eyes and shook his head trying to shake that feeling he had. He looked back down at her and asked,

"Daijobou?"

The girl looked at him and said, "I'm tired." With that said, she closed her eyes again. The boy just continued to smile, however this smile looked more genuine.

The townsperson looked at the scene and then replied to him, "There is a Dr. Genzai here, but he is on vacation. I'm not sure if the doctor lady is there or not though, last time I heard she had gone back to Aizu. Anyway, there is a doctor on the edge of town by the name of Dr. Shiraku. He is in the last house to the left of the street." Pointing in that direction, the boy smiled and nodded. He left to see the doctor. (A/N- Some of the townspeople don't know that Megumi is back in Tokyo since she just got back recently.)

- - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - 

Sanosuke got up from his daze and looked around. "Jou-chan?! Yahiko?!" he yelled. He found a body not too far from his side. He got up with a lot of trouble and stumbled over to the little body. It was Yahiko.

"Yahiko! Yahiko! Can you hear me?" as he shook the young boy's shoulders.

Yahiko groggily sat up. He had a pounding headache. "What's going on?" he asked. He looked at Sanosuke and started searching for another. "Where's busu?"

Sanosuke looked around and couldn't see anything. He dragged himself so he could search around the area, but couldn't find anything. Later he found two bodies tied together. They were the attackers! But who had bound them up?

"SANO!" Yahiko yelled. Sanosuke quickly turned and looked at the boy.

"I remember a little of what happened. I woke up a little while ago and saw some smiling guy wearing a blue gi hitting one of the attackers on the head with the hilt of his sword, but I passed out again after that."

"Do you remember anything more than that?" 

"No . . . do you think that he took busu?" the young boy asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Sano replied.

"We have to go find her!" Yahiko said with determination trying to get up from the ground. Once he got up, his knees gave way and he fell back down. The serum from the dart made his legs asleep and head feel groggy. Sanosuke saw this and decided to hurriedly find Megumi. He wasn't sure where to start looking for Kaoru, but he knew that they wouldn't be any help as long as the medicine was still in effect. So he started in the direction to Dr. Genzai's house, dragging himself along the way. He turned his head back at the kid and stated, 

"Yahiko, wait here. I'll get Megumi."

Yahiko nodded and tears came out of his eyes. _Where's Kaoru? I hate myself, I couldn't help her and now she's disappeared  again. What if something happens to her? What am I going to do? We've got to find her! He pounded on his legs thinking that maybe feeling would return to them by doing that and out of frustration. __Kami-sama, please protect Kaoru. _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - 

Kaoru woke up and found herself staring at some ceiling in a bright room. She looked to her right side and found the doctor talking to a young man. He was smiling and nodding at what doctor was telling him. _Who is he? She thought. When she looked back at the young man, she saw that he had seen her. He walked over and approached her by the bed._

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm okay." She replied

He smiled, "I'll be back later. I need to go retrieve your friends."

She looked up at him confusedly, _my friends? Who are they? She thought. Then she could feel drowsiness taking over again and fell back asleep._

Seeing that she was okay, he quickly left the office and went back to find her friends.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - -

Once the young man got back to where he found the bodies, he was surprised to see that no one was there. He quickly searched the area. He didn't find any blood or anything on the ground. _Who were they? Maybe her family? Friends? He wasn't sure what to do. He decided to ask around if the others saw anything that had happened. Most people replied that they hadn't seen anything or heard anything. Then he came across an old man._

"Excuse me, there were a couple of people lying here on the ground. Do you perchance know what had happened to them?"

The old man said, "Why yes, the police officers came here not too long ago and found them. One of them was tall and skinny smoking a cigarette. They arrested the two who were bound together."

"Oh, arigato." The young man said. He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that nothing terrible had happened to them.  _But why do I care about what happened to them? _He thought. _Maybe it's because I want to protect them. With this thought he turned on his heel and went back to see the girl._

- - - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -- - 

When he went into her room, he could see that she was stirring. He sat down in the chair next to her and looked at her. _She looks so peaceful, he thought. __Maybe I should go back and continue on with my journey now that she is safe. He turned and was about to leave when he felt a tug on his gi._

He saw a hand clutching his gi and his eyes traveled from the hand to the girl's face. She was still asleep. She was mouthing something on her lips. _What is she saying? _He wondered. 

"Don't leave me .. Ke—" Kaoru whispered before her hand became relaxed again since the young man walked back to her side.

He was surprised by her actions. _She must have been having a dream, he thought. He then decided to stay a little while longer by her side. _What is this feeling that I have when I look at her? _He wondered. Feeling sleepy, he lay his head by her side while sitting in the chair and fell asleep. He felt her hand being placed on top of his own hand and smiled (again a genuine smile) as he felt the warmth. _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The sun crept up and slowly and gently kissed the people in the doctor's office. The young man, feeling the warmth of the sun slowly pulled his head up from the bed. Blinking back sleep he turned and looked at the young woman that he had saved the previous night as he put on his usual smile. She was already awake. Her blue sapphire eyes looked at him and she was smiling. _She looks like a goddess, he thought. His smile started to fade slightly as he was enraptured by the beauty in front of him. Once he realized this, he quickly put up his facade again. _

"How are you feeling, miss?" he asked politely.

"I'm feeling much better. Arigato . . . ano, what is your name?" she asked.

"Seta Soujiro." He exclaimed. He didn't know why he gave her his full name. He's never given anyone his full name before since he left the Juppon Gatana, but he felt that he could trust her and there was some warm feeling he got every time he looked at her. Ignoring this thought, he asked her, "What's your name?"

The girl looked confused and then all of a sudden upset. Her fists were clenching and unclenching. Soujiro looked at her questioningly, his smile never faltering. _What's wrong with her_, he thought as he saw the play of emotions in front of him.

"I . . I . . I .. can't remember." She whispered and tears started to stream down her face.

-

-

-

-To Be Continued

A/N:

Please read and review !! Thanks. It would be much appreciated! =) I hope the story is flowing well. So far Soujiro has saved Kaoru, but because of the serum from the dart, she has forgotten everything. Well, mainly her memories about Kenshin and the rest of the Kenshingumi. More will be elaborated on about the people that attacked her that night and who they were working for. 

Those two attackers were taken by Saitou and the rest of the police force. Sano and Yahiko were taken by Megumi once she heard what had happened. So they're probably in Megumi's doctor' s office being treated. 

You're also probably wondering why the serum didn't affect Sano and Yahiko as much as it had affected Kaoru. More will be told about that in the next chapter.

I'm not sure what I should do about the whole thing. I want her to be able to remember her name as Kaoru, but I guess that wouldn't really work either. Hmm .. I'll think of something. If you have any suggestions please post them!! I appreciate the input! =D

Oh yeah and before I forget. I wanted to explain my reasoning for Soujiro's personality. After a year of wandering, I think he's still confused a bit. He doesn't kill anymore though, but he still hasn't found his answer yet. And he hasn't gotten comfortable with expressing his feelings, mainly because nothing has affected so much that he would express his feelings (keep in mind he has only been wandering for a lil over a year).

Special Thnx to: Nicky, wolfpack, Uenki, Princess of Darkness, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support! 


	4. Lost Memories

Disclaimer: RK is not mine =( sniff sniff..

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 3**

"What's your name?" Soujiro asked the girl.

"I . . I . . I .. can't remember." She whispered and tears started to stream down her face.

- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - --  - - - - - 

Soujiro looked at the sight before him. The girl who was smiling so brightly was now in a fit of confusion and sadness. He didn't know how to approach this. His heart went out to the girl. _Who would do this to her? And what is this feeling that I feel right now? At a loss of what to do, he suddenly remembered that there was doctor on the premises. He looked at the girl and touched her hand._

"Don't worry. I'm going to ask the doctor. Everything will be fine, miss." Soujiro said softly. This seemed to calm down the girl and she nodded at him. He smiled at her one last time before walking out the door to find the doctor.

- - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Soujiro knocked on each door in the hallway. "Excuse me, is the doctor in here?" He heard no reply.

He knocked on at least five doors until he heard a reply. He opened the door slowly. He found the doctor sitting at the table doing some kind of paperwork. 

"Excuse me doctor. But the girl that I brought in yesterday seems to not remember her own name. What happened to her?" Soujiro asked with worry. _Worry? _Soujiro started to feel even more confused.

"The lady that you brought here last night was shot with a dart in the back of her neck. The serum from the dart instead of just penetrating the muscles actually hit her spinal cord. The spinal cord has fluids that are needed to execute bodily functions as you may know. However, the serum flowed from her spinal cord to her cerebellum, which is where she would keep her memories. The serum seemed to abstract her memories, so she will be suffering from a case of amnesia. However, with time and care she should be fine again." He stated simply. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, arigato. How long do you think she will be in this condition?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. It varies amongst patients. Since the serum actually affected her brain, it may take longer than normal. I'm saying probably months or so until she is better." The doctor replied.

"Sou-ka." Soujiro said dumbfounded. He looked down at his hands. What was he going to do with her? _Who were those people with her? If I could find them, maybe I could bring her back to them. However, I didn't even get to see their faces so there is no way I can find them. This is quite a dilemma_. _I'll think of something_, he thought to himself.

Then he looked back up at the doctor and smiled his usual smile. "Arigato."

"Oh. The lady should be fine now, so you can take her back home with you." The doctor said.

"Back home?" Soujiro asked dumbfounded. _I don't even have a home. I'm a rurouni. This situation is getting even more complicated._

"Yes, back home. Now if you don't mind, I need to get back to more of this paper work and prescriptions for my other patients. Please close the door on your way out," the doctor said while turning back to his work. 

"Hai," Soujiro replied. His heart beat rapidly as he approached the girl's room. What was he going to say to her and what was he going to do about this situation? He walked to the door and was about to knock when he heard sniffling sounds. _She is still upset_, he thought. Then he remembered seeing her in the morning, with the sun shining brightly down on her and how she  was smiling at him. _I like her smile_, he thought and he felt a warm feeling in heart when he thought about it. _I want to see more of that smile_. And with that thought he announced, "Miss, it's Soujiro. I'm coming into your room."

- - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kaoru looked up from her hands to face him as he came in. She tried to smile, but she couldn't because she was in too much pain from the mental agony. _Who am I? How come I can't remember? Who am I to him? Mou!!!! I have to remember!_ She thought with much determination. "What did the doctor say, Seta-san?"

Soujiro smiled at her and said, "He said that you have a case of amnesia due to the dart's serum that hit the back of your neck last night. However, you should regain your memory back in time." And as an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and please call me Soujiro, miss."

"Oh, okay Soujiro." The girl smiled at him making Soujiro feel that warmth in his heart again. The girl's smile faltered a bit when she asked, "Soujiro, how long will I be like this? And what am I going to do until then I get better? I don't even know where my home is! I don't even remember who my friends are!" And with that she started to cry uncontrollably.

Soujiro looked at her sadly. He hadn't figured out what to do about that part either. He walked up to her and embraced her. He felt her stiffen suddenly. He didn't plan to hug her, it was just an impulse. _I wonder what has gotten into me, Soujiro thought. However, for some reason or another, holding her close to him felt right. He felt the girl relax against him. Then he said to her in a soft voice, "I remember when I came to save you, there were two other people there who I'm guessing may either be your friends or your family. I will try to look for them. Don't worry, everything is going to be, miss." He smiled._

"Arigato, Soujiro." Her sobbing turned into sniffles again. He gently pulled back from their embrace unwillingly and placed her head back on the pillow. He got some tissues and gave them to her so that she could wipe her face. _Why do I feel like this around her?_, he thought to himself. He watched as she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

He stepped away from her while watching her sleeping form. _What should I do about her? I don't want to leave her alone. I have to find her friends so that she can go back to them. _Last I heard, they were taken by the police. But if that is so, I can't go there._ (A/N: As you remember, at the end of the Kyoto Arc, all of the Juppon Gatana were taken away and put to government use in return for them not being punished. The only ones that got away were Seta Soujiro and the Iwanbo.) _I have to think of something!_ , he mentally struggled to find some sort of solution to this obstacle at hand. He decided he would wander around Tokyo and find out more information._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - 

Once Soujiro stepped out of the office, he felt a sigh of relief. When he was with her, his emotions were in turmoil. He had never felt such a tug on his emotions since his last fight with the Battousai. Which he had lost, which proved that he was weak. However, the Battousai didn't kill him. He let him live and since then he promised himself to find the answer to his purpose in life, generally speaking. In order to find that answer, he would follow Himura's path and wander around Japan for ten years. He hoped that by then he would have found the answer and could finally decide for himself who was right, Himura or Shishio. 

He then focused on the task at hand. He needed to find information about the girl who he had found on the road. He thought that it would be best to go back to the site where he had found her in the first place. _Maybe her friends are back there searching for her_, he thought to himself.

Soujiro looked around and then started his trek back to the same road from the previous night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  -

At Dr. Genzai's Care Center

"Oi Fox, be more careful with that will you!" Sano screamed.

"Ohohohohoo. I didn't know you were such a baby, tori-atama." Megumi replied.

"I have to go find Jou-chan! Hurry up. We've already wasted so much time!"

"If you would stop moving around so much and let me finish, I would have been done a couple of hours ago!" Megumi exclaimed and hit him in the arm.

"Stop fighting. We have to go find Kaoru. We don't know what's happened to her," Yahiko exclaimed feeling upset. _Please let Kaoru be okay. I don't know what I would do without her. Then Yahiko added,  
"Kenshin will be back tomorrow !!! We have to find her before then. What if he goes back to Rakuninmura again?"_

Sanosuke and Megumi looked at each other. Both eyes were glazed with emotion. They remembered what had happened to Kaoru since Enishi's revenge. Kenshin, having found her body in the dojo, broke down emotionally. Having lost someone so dear to him a second time, his mind couldn't take it. He couldn't protect the person he loved the most. So he retreated and went to Rakuninmura. This place was where people go who have no feelings or emotions, they're there just in body. They had tried many times to talk him into coming back, but his mind couldn't register anything that they had said. He was in too deep a depression to answer anything.

"Where should we start looking, Sano?" Yahiko asked.

"Maybe we can ask Saitou." Sano replied, even though he hated him. It was a weird relationship between the both of them. He had both hated and admired the man. He admired his strength, and after the Shishio thing, Sano decided that he would surpass him in that area.

"Okay, I'm almost done. Don't do any stupid things like you usually do, tori-atama. Yahiko, look after him. I feel better knowing that one of you is smart," Megumi exclaimed.

"Feh!" Sanosuke exclaimed.

Having finished, Sanosuke and Yahiko hurriedly ran to the police station in hopes that they would have some information regarding Kaoru's disappearance.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Soujiro found himself on the same road again. _Hmm..how do I start?, he thought. Then he heard some noises off the road. He turned and saw three big, burly men standing next to the tree. One of the men's arms were propped next to the side of the tree, putting his weight on it as if to support him. Soujiro felt that there was something strange about them so he went to investigate._

He decided it would be best if he hid somewhere so that they wouldn't notice his presence. He sprinted rapidly and jumped on top of the tree that was about seven feet or so away from the group. He ran so quickly that it was not noticed by the three standing by the tree. Then he proceeded to listen in on their conversation.

"Boss isn't too happy about what happened last night," the first thug said.

"Isn't that obvious?" the second one sneered.

"Why are we standing here anyway? Shouldn't we be looking for the girl?" the third one asked.

"You're so thick-headed. We don't know where she is. It's best to wait and see if her friends come back to look for her," the second one replied. Soujiro thought to himself, _the second one must be the one in charge of this group since he seemed to be the most intelligent one, _(which isn't saying much for his part).

"Oh. So what do we do when we see 'em?" the first one asked.

"They most likely have the girl since the dart hit her. There's no way she could be walking around by herself. Also, I found out that when the police came and got Fuji and Shiori" _Those must be the two that attacked last night, Soujiro thought and then continued to listen into their conversation. ". . . nobody was there except for them. Somehow the other three had escaped."_

"Feh! I'm sick of waiting here," said the third one and spat on the ground. "Why does the boss want the Kamiya girl anyway?"

_Kamiya_, Soujiro thought, _that must be her last name._ He felt better since at least he could tell her what her last name was when he got back to the doctor's place.

Soujiro continued to listen more. His eyes grew wide in surprise as he heard the last part of their conversation.

-

-

-

- To be Continued

Please read and review! Thanks~ =D

A/N: Nicky- Thanks for all your comments and reviews =) They're inspiring. And yes, there will be Soujiro/Kaoru scenes early on in the story.

Thanks again to: Nicky, wolfpack, Uenki, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!


	5. Fujimoto Akane

Disclaimer: RK is not mine. =*(

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 4**

"Feh! I'm sick of waiting here," said the third one and spat on the ground. "Why does the boss want the Kamiya girl anyway?"

_Kamiya_, Soujiro thought, _that must be her last name._ He felt better since at least he could tell her what her last name was when he got back to the doctor's place.

Soujiro continued to listen more. His eyes grew wide in surprise as he heard the last part of their conversation.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -

"We're here to see Saitou!" Sanosuke demanded out of breath. He and Yahiko had run all the way from Dr. Genzai's office to the police station in a matter of minutes without stopping to take a breath. 

The police officer sitting at the desk looked at him and nodded. He got out of his chair and went down the hallway. Sano and Yahiko decided to follow him. A faint scent of cigarette smoke could be smelled. The police officer stopped in front one of the doors and knocked.

"Excuse me, Saito-san. There are a couple of visitors who need to see you," the police officer said.

"Bring them in," a harsh voice said.

"You may go in now," the police officer said looking at the two guests. He opened the door for them. The cigarette smoke seemed to consume them as they walked into the room.

"Hmph," Sano grunted. He and Yahiko had trouble seeing in the dark room. All they saw were faint outlines and a bright red flame from Saito's cigarette. 

"Ahou, what brings you here?" Saitou said as he took another puff of his cigarette.

Sano decided that he didn't want to get into a fight with him and so he got straight to the point. "Do you know anything about what happened last night with the two attackers and do you have any information on where our Jou-chan is?"

Saitou looked up from his cigarette. "Kamiya is missing?"

"Yeah, you know where she is?" Yahiko interjected impatiently.

"Hmm...that's strange," Saito said calmly. Too calmly for Yahiko and Sano's comfort.

Sano was getting annoyed. He walked up to the desk and pounded it with his fist. "This is not the time to play around, Saito. Do you have any idea where she would be?!" Sano demanded.

"I'm not playing around, ahou. Hmmm . . . last night when my officers had gotten to the scene, we only found two bodies there. Both knocked out unconscious. Kamiya's body was not there. I think that whoever knocked those two unconscious must have taken Kamiya with them," Saitou exclaimed.

He stopped to take another puff from his cigarette and thought for a second and then continued, "However, I do believe that the group who attacked you last night was unsuccessful in their mission to retrieve Kamiya. When they came back to consciousness they were mumbling something about not getting the girl and the boss being upset."

"They still here?" Sano asked.

"Yeah, they're in the cells. I was just going to start questioning them again. Care to join me, ahou?" Saitou said with a smirk. With that said, he started to make his way to the door. Sano and Yahiko followed him as they left the room and returned back to the hallway.

- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - - 

After hearing their conversation, Soujiro rushed back to the doctor's office._ I have to get her out of this place_, he thought as he remembered the three thugs' conversation from earlier.

_"What does the boss want with the Kamiya girl anyway?" the third thug asked._

_"Yeah, why?" the first one interjected._

_"The okashira said that this Kamiya chick  would be his key to a fortune," the second one replied. "Don't ask me what that means. Anyway, if we don't find anything here, we have the others searching around town. ."_

_There are others?_, Soujiro thought. _Oh no! Kamiya-san  is still in the doctor's care facility alone! _Then he continued to listen on to what they were saying.

". . _the boss expects her found by tonight. I put enough men out there to scout around for her whereabouts to make sure that she'll be discovered by nightfall," the second one continued._

_Once Soujiro heard this, he quickly jumped down from the tree and using his speed ability, sprinted out of the area unnoticed by the three thugs._

Soujiro was at the front of the doctor's building and went in. He walked down the hallway and announced to Kaoru that he was back. He slid open the door and entered.

No one was there.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sanosuke and Yahiko followed Saitou into the dark corridors of the Tokyo jail. The dusty and humid stench in the cells consumed them. 

Saitou walked in front of a cell and stopped throwing his cigarette and the floor and putting it out with his foot. 

The two masculine figures in the cells looked up at their visitors. 

"What do you want?" asked Shiori, the attacker who was knocked unconscious by Soujiro.

"You know exactly what we want," Saitou replied with a smirk. 

"We ain't telling you anything," remarked Fuji, the attacker with the katana.

Saitou took out another cigarette and lit it. He took a puff and glared at the two prisoners. He took out a pair of keys and unlocked the cell. Sano and Yahiko looked at the scene with tension. The prisoners were beginning to feel a bit restless as Saitou took calm and collected steps towards them. Fuji and Shiori started to lean as far back as they could until their backs hit the cold hard wall as they saw the approach red flame from Saitou's cigarette coming nearer and nearer. Too close for their comfort. Saitou stopped when he was a foot away from them and looked into their eyes.

"Who are you working for?" asked Saitou curtly.

"As IF we would tell - - -AAH!" Fuji started, but stopped when Saitou swiftly took Fuji's pinky finger and bent it all the way back.

"You were saying?" Saitou asked with a glint in his eyes

"I - - I - -we . ." started Shiori with fear choking him.

"Should I be a bit more persuasive?" stated Saitou. He immediately took hold of Shiori's wrists and crushed it. The howl of pain echoed down the dreary hallways of the jail. Sano and Yahiko stared at the Shiori's now limp hand that looked like it would have fallen off if not for the skin keeping it attached. The two prisoners were squirming in pain.

"Hurry it up ahous. I don't have all day. Unless you need some more convincing," said Saitou sternly getting tired of their antics. _If they don't say anything in the next minute, one of them will taste the blade of Mibu's wolf, he thought, __that'll get one of them talk. I don't have much time to lose with these ahous. I promised Tokio that I would take her out for dinner today. As Saitou thought of Tokio, his eyes lightened up a bit and when he looked back down at both thieves, he saw that they were staring at him._

_What was that look? It was disturbing_, thought Shiori as he kept gazing at Saitou. _He's probably enjoying our suffering. Snapping out his daze, Shiori noticed that Saitou caught him staring at him. __Oh shit! Shiori quickly looked back down on the floor, afraid to find out what the wolf would do to him next._

As Shiori looked down, he felt a gush of wind a cool metal resting an inch from his neck. Saitou had a blade to his throat. Sano and Yahiko sweatdropped. The prisoner started to panic once the initial shock was gone. His friend's eyes only looked at the blade with wide eyes in shock and horror. This job wasn't worth dying over.

"I have no reservations about killing worthless scum like you," Saitou remarked curtly. "Now speak."

After cooling his senses, Fuji decided to speak. "We . . .we work for Fujimoto Akane."

Saitou's eyes showed a hint of surprise and recognition when he heard this name. _What is that ahou planning?_

"Continue," Saitou said in a stern and cold voice. The katana was thrust further towards its desired object. His blade now only centimeters away from piercing Shiori's throat.  His adam's apple was bobbing up and down, Shiori was afraid to swallow. Cold sweat started to pour from his forehead. One of the sweat drops landed right on top of the blade making an audible _pling_. 

Fuji began to speak.

-

-

-

- To be continued

A/N:

Please read and review! Thanks for all your comments and support! =D I had trouble writing this particular chapter because I wasn't sure where I wanted it to go. I have it narrowed down to two ideas now ^_^ Hopefully they'll be surprising ^_^

Special thanks to: Nicky, wolfpack, Uenki, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!

I know you guys were probably expecting more of an explanation about them wanting to kidnap Kaoru, but that wouldn't be as exciting now would it? hehe .. ;P


	6. Kidnapped

Disclaimer: RK is not mine =**(

Someone asked me earlier where I got the idea for this fic from. Umm.. I've read a couple of Soujiro fics and I really like how each of the authors portrayed him, such as "Patchwork Family" and "Anata No Tame Ni" (the sou/kao or kao/ken fic) Also I read "Oblivion" and "That's It" where Kaoru gets amnesia. So it's kind of a combination of the two ideas, but there's more to it than that. You'll find out in later chapters.

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 5**

"I have no reservations about killing worthless scum like you," Saitou remarked curtly. "Now speak."

After cooling his senses, Fuji decided to speak. "We . . .we work for Fujimoto Akane."

Saitou's eyes showed a hint of surprise and recognition when he heard this name. _What is that ahou planning?_

"Continue," Saitou said in a stern and cold voice. The katana was thrust further towards its desired object. His blade now only centimeters away from piercing Shiori's throat. 

Fuji began to speak.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - -  - -

Soujiro stood dumbfounded by the doorway. _Where is Kamiya-san? He looked upon the futon that Kaoru was lying upon and found that the bedsheets were in a disarray. Some of the sheets were thrown to the side._

_Someone probably already found her_!, Soujiro thought in a panic.

He quickly rushed out of the room to find the doctor. The boy ran into the doctor's office without announcing his presence.

He was shocked at the scene. The doctor's papers were all scattered on the floor. There were small blots of red stains on them.

Soujiro kneeled down next to the stained paper and touched the red blots with his forefinger. He rubbed it against his thumb. The warm, redness was sticky between his two fingers. _The blood is still fresh!_, Soujiro realized. _They must have just taken her! Soujiro got up in a quick motion. He turned around aiming for the door. Before he reached out to open the door, his eyes peered downwards and he found a small river of red blood flowing from one of the corners of the room._

Following the trail of blood, he found that the stains became darker and more prominent. Soujiro could still see the red liquid towards the opposite end of the room. As he looked up to see the origin of the blood, he saw a lifeless hand lie limply behind a screen door.

Soujiro slid open the door and the body rolled over. The doctor's lifeless eyes were staring up at Soujiro. The boy shivered. He had just talked to him an hour ago! The doctor was most likely dead, but Soujiro decided to check for a pulse anyway. To his dismay, there was none. In an act of kindness, the boy put his hands over the doctor's eyes and closed his eyelids. 

Determined to find the girl who intrigued him so much, Soujiro dashed out of the room in a lightning fast pace using his Shukuchi skills to the best of his ability. (A/N This was seen in the Kyoto Arc during his fight with Kenshin ^_^ God-like speed that even surpassed that of Kenshin's.. sugoi ! ^_^ )

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - 

Back in the Tokyo Jail Cell

Fuji began to speak.

"Well, you already know that we work for Fujimoto Akane. I'm surprised Saitou, don't you remember him? He was part of the Shinsengumi also," Fuji said with a smirk.

Saitou became less tense and drew back his katana a little from Shiori's pulsing throat. Shiori breathed a sigh of relief.

"I remember that ahou. What is he planning now?" Saitou demanded, his yellow wolf-like eyes staring down at its prey.

Fuji shifted a little on the wooden seat feeling uncomfortable at the way Saitou was glaring at him. He gathered up his courage as he continued, "A..as you well know . . . Fujimoto was involved in the Tokugawa government activities before the Bakumatsu. He had a particular group that would watch out for those people who opposed the Edo rule and once he found them, he would annihilate them. Friends and family were included."

"Aku – Soku –Zan," Saitou interjected.

Fuji and Shiori looked up at him as he made the comment. The police officer took another puff of his cigarette and then put it out by flicking it to the side of the cell. The red flame from the cigarette mesmerized the prisoners as they saw it spin in the air and finally drop on the ground. The soft landing was deafening to them obstructing the silence in the cell.

"Continue," Saitou commanded taking his blade and thrusting it towards Fuji.

Fuji jumped up in shock. His face pale and cold sweat poured down the visage of the trembling man.  Fuji continued shakily, "H—ha – hai, Saitou-san.  As this continued, our boss had found out from spies that one of the people in his own clan swayed in their beliefs. That person wanted to help overthrow the Tokugawa rule and government."

Saitou pulled the blade back a little. 

Fuji took a breath and then continued on while Saitou was still watching him, his eyes not having even blinked once.

Fuji looked at his hands, clenching and unclenching them in his nervous fit. He then continued on with his story, "well, Fujimoto reacted to the situation and decided to kill all those around the traitor: his family, friends, and all others who had associated with him. However, somehow that traitor must have found out that Fujimoto knew about his betrayal. He and some of his friends escaped before Fujimoto's men were able to ambush them at night. Only his wife and some friends were caught and killed." 

Sanosuke becoming impatient cried out, "So what's this got to do with our Jou-chan?"

Yahiko interjected, "Yeah! What do you want Kaoru for?"

Sano, speaking through clenched teeth added, "This better not be another plot to get revenge on  Kenshin." His eyes narrowed at the two prisoners.

Fuji and Shiori looked at the two visitors with annoyance. Sano and Yahiko just glared at them. 

Saitou becoming impatient with the prisoners stated, "Answer them."

"Iie, we don't know why our boss wants her. He just gave us the orders. We don't know the connection between that traitor and the girl or this Kenshin," answered Shiori truthfully.

Yahiko and Sano fumed at their answer. They were getting nowhere! Sano punched the wall using his Futae-no-kiwami skills leaving a vivid dent in the stone wall. Shiori and Fuji gasped at the sight and swallowed hard then turned back to Saitou.

Saitou commanded to them, "Then tell us the name of this traitor. Is his location known?"

"His name is Higurashi Miroku , but the boss hasn't told us any information about his whereabouts," answered Fuji. (A/N: If you're wondering where I got this name, I watch Inuyasha also. Hehe.. so I just combined Kagome and Miroku's name.. eck).

"Shik-sho!" cursed Sanosuke.

Yahiko was balling his hands up into a fist, clenching them so tightly that his knuckles became pale.

"Where is Fujimoto now?" questioned Saitou looking into both Fuji and Shiori's eyes.

"He's probably not at the hide-out now since he knows both of us have been captured," remarked Shiori. 

"Then take me to his old hide-out," said Saitou curtly. He was getting really aggravated by both of the criminals. They weren't giving him any usable information. _But why do I care what happens to that Kamiya girl?_ _Oh well, Battousai will be furious when he comes back and finds her missing. _Thinking of that, he just took out another cigarette from his jacket and lit it. He took a puff and blew the smoke in Fuji's face causing Fuji to blink and sneeze.

"Do I have to drag you there? Or should I use some more persuasion?" remarked Saitou with another smirk on his face. "I'd gladly enjoy breaking a few more of your weak bones."

Fuji and Shiori sweatdropped as their faces became as pale as the moonlight. They looked at each other and agreed silently as they began to speak. 

"We'll take you! We'll take you!" both of them exclaimed in unison, hands and legs trembling due to the fright that they have of both Saitou and the spiky-haired man outside of the cell.

"Lead the way," Saitou remarked calmly as he walked towards the cell door. Both prisoners held their heads down low as they walked out, afraid of what would happen to them. Their legs were trembling so much that they were amazed at the fact that they could even walk.

- - - - - - - -- -  -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - -

Soujiro ran back to that same road looking for the three thugs that were talking earlier by the side of the tree. _Now where did they go? Thought Soujiro as he scanned the area. __There's not a trace of them anywhere! Soujiro was getting frustrated. The sun was already starting to set in the late afternoon sky._

_I've got to find her before sundown_, he thought in determination.

He quickly walked in a brisk pace down the road looking for any signs of where the three thugs could have gone.

- - - - - - - - - - -  - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Fuji and Shiori were out of the Tokyo police station followed by Saitou, an extremely pissed Sanosuke, and an anxious Yahiko. Yahiko glanced at the two people who were leading them to the hideout, _I hope we find information on where you are, Kaoru. He silently made a prayer to himself._

As the five glanced up at the purplish hues of the sky, each had their own thoughts to meditate upon.

Fuji and Shiori, being in the same situation kept making sideways glances at each other, their sweat was rolling off of their foreheads in streams. They were scared of what their boss would do to them once he found out that they led these people to their hideout. Shiori took a glance behind him and saw that all three followers were staring at them. He quickly turned his head back to the path. More sweat came off of his forehead.

_We're in deep shit either way_, thought Shiori. _But at least there's a chance that we'll survive if we show them the hideout. The police guy gives me the creeps._ At the thought of him, he shivered as pain shot up from his arm (A/N: Remember Saitou broke his wrist when he was under scrutiny). 

Meanwhile, Sanosuke was walking behind them keeping a close eye on their movements. _They better not try to escape from us. _He looked down at his feet while walking and kicked a rock with a lot of force. Sano was pissed. _I can't believe Jou-chan is gone again!! If I had been more aware of what was going on, we would not even be in this situation!! Shit!! I'm so stupid. Megumi is right, I am a baka. Sano dug his hands deep into his white pant pockets, still cursing himself for his stupidity._

Yahiko turned his head to get a glance at Sano. He saw that his friend was really pissed. Yahiko turned back to face the backs of the two attackers. His eyes were glum and his heart was heavy. 

_Kaoru was worried about me and came out to find me. This is all my fault! If I had gotten back to the dojo earlier, Kaoru would still be here and we'd be having dinner_, Yahiko thought. 

Yahiko's eyes became a little glazed over. He didn't want to tear up right now. He was determined that they would find Kaoru and that she'd be okay. _She's my sensei after all. She knows how to protect herself_, Yahiko thought, trying to comfort himself with the fact that Kaoru would be fine.

Saitou, taking stiff and brisk steps, was glaring daggers at the backs of both Fuji and Shiori. He was most disturbed in hearing that Fujimoto Akane, a prominent member of the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu was involved in this fiasco. 

_Did he want to lure Battousai to him by using the girl?_ He thought as he took a long drag from his cigarette. 

Saitou looked out at the setting sun. It was starting to get late. _Damn, Tokio is going to be mad when I get home. That ahou is going to pay dearly for making my wife wait. _He flicked his cigarette to the side and took out another one from his jacket pocket as he continued to follow the two in front.

As they rounded the next corner, Shiori noticed a flash of blue. He nonchalantly glanced at the retreating figure and his body froze in place once he recognized the man.

It was the guy who knocked him unconscious that night.

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

A/N:

Please read and review!!! It would be really appreciated. The story that was told by Fuji and Shiori is important to the plot development and will be referred back to as the story progresses.

I'm trying to make my characters and plot be as believable as possible. There are moments where characters are a bit OOC, but I hope you don't mind.

I'm not exactly sure how many chapters this story will be and yes, Kenshin will be returning to Tokyo soon. ^_^ Hehe .. I feel bad for putting him through this ordeal, but hopefully it'll be worth it in the end. Kenshin & Kaoru are my favorite couple. But don't worry Soujiro will be okay too. 

Oh yeah, if you have any suggestions about where I should go with this story, please leave some feedback. I'll give each idea some consideration. Thnx again.

Special Thanks to:  Nicky, wolfpack, Uenki, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, Souryusen, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!


	7. Looking for the Hideout

Disclaimer: Kenshin does not belong to me. =(

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 6**

As they rounded the next corner, Shiori noticed a flash of blue. He nonchalantly glanced at the retreating figure and his body froze in place once he recognized the man.

It was the guy who knocked him unconscious that night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Saitou noticed that one of the prisoners stiffened in front of him. He looked around to see what Shiori could have seen for him to react that way. He scanned the area around him and found it empty. They were alone in those alleyways. 

Saitou jabbed the man who was not moving in front of him with his katana, jerking Shiori out of his thoughts.

Shiori jumped, startled at the feeling of the hilt engraving itself on his back.

"Why did you stop?" Saitou asked with a frown, putting his katana back into its sheath.

"I – I thought I had seen something," Shiori replied shakily, still recovering from the initial shock of what Saitou had done.

"What did you think you saw?" Saitou asked curtly as they continued to walk. Fuji looked over at his companion with an eyebrow raised. 

_I didn't see anything_, Fuji thought. _It must be all this stuff happening to us that is making him see things_. 

Shiori answered, "Umm .. I th- - thought I saw the man who knocked me unconscious that night." Then he added quickly, "But I was probably imagining it because once I blinked the figure was gone."

Sanosuke smirked.

_Interesting_, Saitou thought. 

Yahiko, hearing this, snapped out of his thoughts. The man that had knocked Shiori unconscious that night! He remembered seeing his figure under the moonlight, wearing that blue gi. He quickly looked around, but to his dismay saw nothing and no one around. He let out a sigh of disappointment. 

Fuji just looked at his companion like he was crazy.

Shiori shifted uncomfortably as he continued to lead the rest to their hide-out. 

(A/N: About this particular scene, only Saitou and Sanosuke recognize what Soujiro looks like. Yahiko has only heard about him, so he cannot put a name to the face he saw. Even though Yahiko was able to describe to Sano what he had seen that night, Sanosuke does not link the person in the blue gi to Soujiro.)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - -- - - - - - 

Soujiro was becoming anxious. He had not found any trace of those three people since that afternoon. He had been looking around town for an hour already. _Where did they take her?_, he thought in a panic.

As he was walking by an alleyway, he noticed a group of five people turning the corner.

_That's the man who shot the dart at Kamiya-san!_, Soujiro thought. _What are they doing? At the moment when he was thinking, he saw that one of them had spotted him. He hurriedly ran out of the area a good distance from the group and hid from their view._

Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the two attackers from the previous night were leading three people somewhere. He squinted so he could take a closer look at the three following them. 

Shock sketched over Soujiro's features. _Saitou-san and Sagara-san! What are they doing here? __Why are they following those criminals? His eyes narrowed in recognition. Then, Soujiro looked over at the shorter spiky-haired boy carrying a bokken on his back. He hadn't seen that boy before. (A/N: The reason why Soujiro doesn't recognize Sano and Yahiko as Kaoru's friends (as mentioned in Chapter 3) is because that night after the attack, he didn't get a chance to look at Kaoru's companions who were out cold on the road. He was too busy finding a doctor to treat Kaoru and when he came back for the other two, they were not there anymore.)_

Curious, Soujiro decided to follow behind them, keeping a good distance from them so that they could not sense his ki.

As they were making a right out of the alleyway, Soujiro heard a hoarse laugh.

_That laugh sounds familiar_, he thought. He turned his heard around to peek at who the laughter belonged to and saw a glimpse of a husky broad shouldered man turning a corner. His heard skipped a beat and he felt hopeful.  There was no mistaking it, it was one of the thugs that was looking for Kaoru earlier that day by the road.

Forgetting his pursuit of Saitou's group, Soujiro hurriedly went to follow those three henchmen. 

_I will find you, Kamiya-san_.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After walking for fifteen minutes, the group finally reached an abandoned dojo near the outskirts of town.

"This is your hide-out?" Sano asked sarcastically. The place was so filthy and dusty that rats themselves wouldn't even make this place their home.

"Yeah," Fuji responded. _It's as we thought, the boss and the rest of them have already abandoned the place._

Yahiko and Sanosuke gaped at the condition of the rundown dojo. Their eyes scanned the area around them to see if there was anyone there that could give them any clues.

Saitou just looked around while taking puffs of his cigarette. Then he spoke, "I'll get some of my men here to look around to see if they can find any clues as to where they are now." Saitou took one more look around and started to proceed back out the gates.

Fuji and Shiori looked at each other and followed behind Saitou.

Sanosuke and Yahiko looked at Saitou's back as he was heading out. They didn't want to leave without any information on where Kaoru was taken. 

Sano spoke up, "Oi! Get your men to hurry up back here!"

Yahiko voiced, "Yeah! We're gonna stay here and look for any information."

Without turning back to look at them, Saitou nodded at their replies.  

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Soujiro caught up to the thug that he saw earlier and saw that the other two were there with him. They were in the process of conversing with another shorter, lankier man. He crouched down from their view and scuffled up closer to the group. He propped his back behind a big wooden crate and stretched his neck a little ways so that he could hear what they were saying.

"Why'd you call us back?" a hoarse voice asked.

"Yeah," the other said with a grunt.

"The boss has gotten her already. I was sent to call you back," an unfamiliar voice replied in annoyance. He obviously didn't enjoy talking to the other three thugs. _That guy must be the shorter, skinnier guy that I saw talking to them_. Their voices lowered from their original tone so not much could be heard. As he struggled to intently listen to what was being said, he could only make out some mumbling and only a couple of words that he could understand: Kamiya, captured, Higurashi, China, money . . . _If only I could get closer without getting seen!_, Soujiro thought in despair. _But at least I know that they're going back to their hide-out. I'll just follow them._

Soujiro waited until he heard some shuffling of feet. When he thought it was safe, he peeked to the side of the box. They were already starting to leave. Soujiro got up from his hiding place and started to trail them.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - -  - - - -

Yahiko and Sanosuke were sweating profusely. They had been searching the dojo inside and outside and have yet to find any relevant information. The place was practically empty except for the dustballs that were flying around everywhere.

"Achoo!" Yahiko sneezed. He wiped his nose with his right arm. "Che. We can't find anything!"

"Yeah. Maybe we should go check to see if Saitou has found out any more stuff?" Sano suggested while scratching the back of his head. He was at a loss.

"Yeah. I guess," Yahiko responded glumly. _I can't believe we can't find anything here. It's like they just vanished. _

As they were heading out of the dojo, a gust of wind blew and a small torn piece of white paper was found. Sanosuke saw it and picked it up. Upon examination of the paper, they saw that someone had hastily written the words: Dr. Shiraku.

_Yatta! _Sanosuke thought. _At least we have something now_. With a renewed sense of energy Sano called to Yahiko, "Come on! I think I found something!"

Yahiko brightened up and ran after Sano.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

In the bad part of Tokyo

The sun was going down quickly and the streets were emptying out. Soujiro briskly walked keeping close watch of the four people he had been following. He saw them make a right and followed. Their journey finally led them to their desired destination. The four walked into the building.

Soujiro looked up to see the name of the structure: "Todai's".  It was some sort of sushi restaurant. He looked back at the doors and went around to the back of the building.

He unsheathed his katana that hung from his side and using the tip of the blade cut a thin line through the paper of one of the doors in the back. Placing the katana back into its sheath, Soujiro crouched down a little and using his index finger, made the whole a little bigger. He leveled himself so that his left eye would be able to see through the hole. He saw a semi-dark room with figures standing to the sides. One man was sitting in a chair. 

There was a group of about ten or twelve people gathered in the room. _There are probably more outside of the room_, Soujiro thought. Then he heard a _swish. One of the doors had slid open. He recognized the four figures that came in, they were the people that he had been tailing the entire time._

As the four came in, they bowed at the person who sat at the far end of the room, the person that was sitting in the chair. Soujiro could not make out that person's face, but knew that he had to be the boss. 

His eyes darted around to see if he could find the girl, but to his dismay, he saw no one. His heart sank a little, but he did not lose hope.

Then he heard another _swish_ and some muffled screams. Soujiro's eyes targeted where the sounds were coming from and saw it was her. _Kamiya-san!!_ Soujiro's eyes lit up at the sight of her. She was still okay.

She was held by one of the larger more bulky men. Kaoru was struggling in his arms. Her eyes were shut tightly and a couple of tears were coming out. Her wrists were put behind her and bound tightly with ropes. She had a piece of white cloth tied around her mouth. Kaoru kept shaking her head left and right repeatedly  thinking that it might loosen the tightness of the cloth so she could ask them what was going on. Instead, all they could hear were her muffled protests.

Soujiro clenched his fists and his heart tightened. _How could they do that to her? _

"Nice to finally meet you, Kamiya-san," the boss said with a smirk on his face. His voice was low and commanding, his fingers were tapping methodically on the floor as he was talking. 

Kaoru stopped and paused stunned at the voice. She turned to the man who was sitting in the chair across from her in the room. Her eyes were wide with apprehension and fear. The little light that shone in the room cast an eerie glow across the man's visage. The smirk that had appeared across his face made the sight even uglier. She unconsciously shivered.

"I would untie that cloth around your mouth to see what you have to say, but I wouldn't want to attract any undesired attention here. I've suffered too many long years for this chance," the boss said with vehemence in his voice.

He paused awhile and looked at the girl up and down. She grew uncomfortable at the intense stare the man was giving her.

"Aa," the man said, "you have your father's eyes." He paused in thought and then added, "Your resemblance to your mother however is uncanny." The boss's eyes contained a glint that only Soujiro noticed. 

Kaoru was shocked at what she heard. _This man knew my father and mother!_, she thought in horror. _I wish I could remember what happened_. Her face was flushed with anger. Her eyes narrowed at the sight in front of her. Meanwhile Soujiro, who was watching the entire scene play out through the small hole, was intently absorbed at what the man who held the girl captured was going to say.

The man let out a sigh.

"I wish your father was here to see how much you've grown. You know, it's too bad he was a traitor. He was my right-hand man at one point. You don't know how disappointed I was when I found out that he had started to support our enemies," the man said pronouncing each syllable with venom. Kaoru noticed how intense he was when recounting his memories and feelings, this man who was at one point aloof now began to clench his fists and his veins became more visible on his forehead. She grew a little scared, but she was determined not to show it in front of her enemy.

The man relaxed a little and began to talk again with that same aloofness. "You have your father's spirit you know," the man grinned evilly at her. "I can see the flames in your eyes." Then the man let out a low chuckle. "It's a bit enticing."

Rage flashed through Kaoru's eyes. Her muscles became tense. Her actions only provoked her capturer to smile with interest.

"Hmm . . it'll be quite entertaining to see my dear friend Higurashi's reaction when he sees that I had found his precious daughter and she is now under my captivity." All the guards looked at her, apparently they had not known that the Kamiya girl was the traitor's daughter. Her face was still expressionless and confused.

_What is going on here?_, Kaoru thought.

"I think I'll have some fun with you as long as you're here. I wouldn't want a pretty thing like you go to waste," he said with a smirk and then added, "Aaa … I had such a good time with your mother." The boss had a sickening smile plastered onto his face.

Kaoru wanted to lash out and punch the man because she couldn't contain her anger any longer. With a sudden surge of energy, she pulled out of the bulky man's firm grasp.

"Stop squirming bitch and be good!" the man who was holding her tightly commanded. He brought his hand up and slapped her hard across her face. 

The sound resonated throughout the entire room. It was deafening. Unable to control his anger anymore, Soujiro put his hand on the hilt of his katana and was about to strike.

-

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-

- To be continued

A/N:

Please read and review!! Thanks so much for all of your support. For all the Sou and Kaoru fans, gomen . . …..but this will not be a Sou/Kao fic. However, don't be disappointed. Soujiro will be happy in the end also. .hehe but I'm not gonna give away anything yet.. and no I'm not using Soujiro as just some medium to bring Kenshin and Kaoru together (through Kenshin's jealousy). If you remember in the prologue, Kenshin has already expressed that he wants to spend the rest of his life by Kaoru's side.

Speaking of our beloved rurouni, Kenshin will be returning really soon..probably the chapter after next. Or maybe even the one after that?

Someone pointed out that Saitou is really mean. Well, I wasn't trying to make him mean per se. But he gets what he wants and he is direct. However, inside he is warm and affectionate (as shown through his thoughts about his wife). I think Saitou is one of my favorite characters other than the rest of Kenshingumi and Soujiro..hehe ^_^ 

And there are probably a lot of questions raised about Kaoru's parents. (hehehe . . . . I plan to explain it in the later chapters.)

I hope this chapter was interesting. I had a hard time writing the middle part of it. =/ Thnx again.

Special Thanks to: Nicky, wolfpack, Uenki, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato,  Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!

Luna Angel – was ur comment a threat? Hehehe ;P


	8. The Mysterious Intruder

Disclaimer: Soujiro is not mine =**( neither is Kenshin ..

A/N: If you didn't already know, the words in _italics are people's thoughts. ^_^ and if there are flashbacks, they will be in their own respective sections and be written in _italics.__

Warning: Some bad language ahead, but nothing that you haven't heard before .. hehe =x

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

Chapter 7 

"Stop squirming bitch and be good!" the man who was holding her commanded. He brought his hand up and slapped her hard across her face. 

The sound resonated throughout the entire room. It was deafening. Unable to control his anger anymore, Soujiro put his hand on the hilt of his katana and was about to strike.

- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kaoru stood there stunned from both her emotional and physical pain. The stinging feeling on her cheek was beginning to bleed. The redness of the blood stood out against her pale face. Her sapphire eyes were quivering at the sight of the man who had struck her so fiercely. She wanted to hit him back, she wanted to punch him in the gut, kick him, do anything! But she couldn't. 

So she just stood there and gaped at the figure before her.

A loud tear was heard in the room. Everyone turned his head to look for the source of the noise. To their shock, they saw that the door was torn open. 

The guards scanned the room to look for the intruder. But they saw nothing immediately. The feeling of panic was rising and suffocating each one in the room.

Kaoru herself was in a state of shock. _What is going on?, she thought in panic. As she turned her head back to see the guard who had slapped her in the face, she saw a flash of blue and a gleam of light. _

_THUMP!_

The man was sprawled on the floor before her knocked unconscious. 

Everyone around her was in a state of shock. The intruder was moving at a speed so fast that they couldn't follow his movement with their naked eye. All they could see were skid marks on the floor and all they could hear was the harsh pounding on the floors and walls. Instinctively all the guards flocked near their boss to protect him.

_Swish!_, doors from all sides of the rooms were opened. About fifteen more people stumbled inside the room in a flash once they heard the commotion.

"GET THE GIRL!" the boss yelled over the chaos. The boss himself was running towards the door with about three bodyguards protecting him. Soujiro looked over his side and saw them running away, but he was having trouble holding off the twenty odd people that were attacking him.

Kaoru crouched down in her position, unable to scream or move much because of the bindings that they had put on her. She looked up and saw in the corner of her eye one of the guards spotting her in the corner. She held her breath as he grinned and made himself ready to attack her. She shut her eyes tightly as she braced herself for the oncoming impact. 

Soujiro looked over to the corner of the extensive room that held Kaoru and saw a guard getting ready to attack her. He rushed over to her side using his god speed and stepped protectively in front of the girl with his sword in front of them shielding her from any of the attacks.

The guard was stunned to see the man standing right in front of him. His eyes were wide with shock. _Where the hell did he come from?_ He panicked. He just remembered seeing the girl in the corner and getting ready to attack her. _That's impossible. He just appeared out of thin air. The guard was now coming out of his shock and his mind was now registering fear. __Shit! And metal clanged against metal._

Kaoru waited an excruciatingly couple of minutes as she readied herself for the blow. However, she felt nothing. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up from her crouching position. Her eyes were wide with shock. The man in the blue gi was standing in front of her and defending the both of them from the guards. She was trying to register who was protecting her. 

_I'll get the man in charge of this later_, Soujiro thought with determination as he saw the boss's retreating figure in the distance_._ He looked behind him to make sure that the girl was okay and saw that she was shivering. He gave her a very warm smile.

"I'll take care of this problem don't worry. If you would be so kind to just stay here a few moments while I finish dealing with these people. I'll protect you, Kamiya-san," the boy said with reassurance and unconditional warmth.

Then he turned back to face his oncoming attackers. 

_Soujiro!!!_, she thought. Even though she was not able to create any sound through her mouth because of the cloth around it, the way that her eyes lit up showed that she was relieved. The way that Soujiro had smiled at her made her feel at ease.

_Thank you, Soujiro. You've saved my life_, she thought gratefully.

One by one, fifteen of the guards had fallen down onto the ground in a matter of seconds. As Kaoru looked around, she found herself looking at a floor littered with unconscious bodies. Some of the arms and legs of the guards were twisted in awkward positions.  There were only about five or seven guards left standing and they were shaking so badly from fear that they might as well have surrendered. To her right, she saw her savior, Soujiro. His eyes showed such harsh determination as it gauged each one of the attackers. She was in awe at the boy's speed and flawless ability with the katana as it hit its target. The sight was mesmerizing and yet _so familiar_. She shook her head as she tried to remember where else that she had seen this scene before.

_Mou! If only I could remember_, she thought in desperation. 

Kaoru continued to watch as she saw Soujiro face his last opponent. As the guard rushed toward the boy in front of him, the boy disappeared and then quickly reappeared behind him. With a hard blow, Soujiro knocked the attacker unconscious with the hilt of his sword. Once he fell down, the boy scanned the room to see if there was anyone else and once content that all the attackers were unconscious, he quickly hurried to Kaoru's side so that he could untie her.__

As the man clad in the blue gi started to approach the girl, she saw out of the corner of her eyes, something bright and shiny. The man had a wicked grin on his face as he stood some twenty feet behind Soujiro with his weapon. Kaoru's eyes grew wide. It was a gun! She tried to yell out to Soujiro, but couldn't because of the cloth around her mouth and her hands being tied. Then, a distinct click was heard.

Before Soujiro could turn around, the gun went off.

It was too late.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Who the fuck was that guy?" the boss, Fujimoto Akane, demanded while panting out of breath. He and his three bodyguards had run out of the building when they saw that boy attacking. They ran until they found their carriage and high-tailed it out of there. The clip-clopping of the horses hooves' and the harsh breathing of the four people were deafening.

"I . . I thought Battousai was gone," stated one of the guards while trying to catch his breath. 

"He is gone, you numskull," Fujimoto answered curtly. "That's why I fucking asked who that guy was."

No one replied.

"Well, somehow that girl has connections with him seeing how he protected her," the boss said thoughtfully.

"Hai," another guard said, then paused in thought. He looked back up at the boss and commented, "But there's no way that he could fend off all of our guards! There are twenty-five guys back there!"

Fujimoto glared at him. The man shrunk back in his seat, sweating at his boss's reaction. Fujimoto stated, "I haven't seen those skills since the Bakumatsu when I was in the Shinsengumi. He could easily take down all of our men. We were lucky he was distracted at the time, or we would be lying dead on the ground right now."

All three bodyguards sweatdropped.

Fujimoto took out a cigarette from his coat pocket and one of the guards lit it for him. He took a long puff and sighed.

One of the guards then asked, "How did he find us?"

Fujimoto growled in response. Everyone held his breath. Seeing that the boss wasn't going to respond they relaxed a little and exhaled.

The boss's eyes narrowed as he looked out the window and thought, _Now that I've found you, Higurashi Kaoru, I will not let you out of my grasps. I'll get what's owed to me._

He took another drag of the cigarette and flicked it out of the carriage window.

"Oi!!!" 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Oi!!!" Sanosuke yelled in fury with his fists clenched in the air waving at the passing carriage. "Shiksho! Who the hell does that guy think he is!" Apparently, the cigarette end had landed on top of Sano's head and had singed his spiky hair.

Yahiko laughed and pointed. "Hahahaha!"

Sano, in no mood to get into another argument, just hit the kid over the head. "We're here," he said.

Yahiko stopped and looked at the building in front of him. He was out of breath and found them standing in front of a doctor's office. 

"Hey Sano! Why are we here in this doctor's office? . . If you wanted to see a doctor, you could go see Megumi," Yahiko stated while panting. He was perplexed as to why they were there in the first place since Sano had run off without even telling him where he was going and why.

"I found a piece of paper that had the words Dr. Shiraku scribbled on it. And that's why we're here." Sano stated. He took out the scrap of paper and Yahiko examined it, then nodded. 

Once they went into the building, they knew something was wrong.

"Why is it so quiet?" Yahiko questioned as he looked around.

"Come on, let's check the rooms. You take the rooms on the left side while I take the ones on the right side," Sano replied. Yahiko grunted in agreement while both ran down the hallways checking each of the rooms.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - 

_What kind of doctor's office is this? No patients and no doctors_, Sano thought in confusion. _Something's not right._

Sano approached one of the doors and slid it open. It was as usual, empty. He had already gone through five rooms and he was getting really aggravated to say the least. As he approached the seventh room, he smelt something. _Blood?_

Without thinking, he kicked open the door and to his shock, saw papers scattered all along the floor. There was splattered blood was all over them.

_What the hell?_

He quickly turned to his left and saw the body. He ran over to the corpse's side and was relieved a bit to see that it was some man. _Not Jou-chan, he thought with a relief._

He scanned the room and started gathering up the papers that were strewn all over the place. As he shuffled the papers around looking for clues he found some papers dated that same day and the day before. Interested, Sano looked at what was written.

His face paled considerably.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As Sanosuke was examining the rooms on the right side, Yahiko took the rooms on the left side. Like Sano, Yahiko had come up empty handed with each room he had looked in. They were mostly empty, nothing was out of the ordinary. As he approached the last two rooms, his feeling of dread grew. 

_All this looking around and we've come up with nothing so far. Kami-sama. I hope Kaoru is all right. _Yahiko was becoming depressed. He thought that they'd be able to find Kaoru since Sano had found that piece of paper in the group's old hide out. __

_I can't give up hope_, Yahiko thought as he opened to check in on the last two rooms.

As he slid open the door of one of them, he smelled something comforting. _Jasmine_, he thought. _It reminds me of Kaoru_, he thought with a shadow of a smile on his face. He looked around the room and saw that someone had stayed here. However, the futon and blankets were in a disarray.

_What if Kaoru had stayed here?_ .. . . _Shiksho! That means someone must have kidnapped her. Knowing Kaoru, she wouldn't leave a mess like this without cleaning up the area. Even though it's a small possibility, I still gotta tell Sano what I found._

He ran back out into the hallways and yelled to Sano, "Oi!!! I think Kaoru's been here already!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Sano rushed out of the room once he heard Yahiko and came face to face with him. Yahiko noticed something was wrong because Sano's face was all pale. As Yahiko looked inside the room, he found a dead body with blood all over it.

Yahiko's face paled and he looked up at Sano questioningly. _Don't tell me it's Kaoru, his eyes said pleadingly to the ex-gangster._

"It's the doctor," Sano responded grimly.

"Oh," Yahiko responded in a small voice with his head down. _Thank god it's not Kaoru. Even though it was upsetting that someone had killed the doctor so brutally, the little boy couldn't help but feel relieved that it wasn't his busu._

Sano looked at Yahiko thoughtfully and put one of his hands on the boy's shoulders. Yahiko looked up at Sano as he began to speak. "You're right. I think Kaoru was here before."

Sanosuke handed the papers that he had found earlier over to young boy.

Yahiko gasped.

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

**Author's Notes: **

Please read and review!!!! Thanks so much for all of your reviews so far. Sorry I haven't updated in the last couple of days. I had finished the chapter before earlier, but I had changed it around. ^_^ The next couple of chapters will probably take awhile before I finish because I want them to be good and I'm still thinking about what I want to happen next.

Hehe. . sorry about the cliffhangers there. ^_^ I know I'm evil. 

Author imitating Megumi's laugh – "Ohohohoho."

I'm now reiterating the fact that this is a K/K fic ^_^ Gomenasai SxK fans. 

Readers throw old fruit at the author

 Author ducks

But as I have said earlier, Soujiro fans won't be disappointed  =D Hehe .. I love the guy.

Anyway, I plan to write a Soujiro/Kaoru fic sometime in the future. Maybe an Enishi/Kaoru one also ^_^

Special Thanks to all the Readers. Please review! =D Suggestions and such will be highly appreciated!! =D Hmm.. like what do you want to happen between Soujiro and Kaoru. Nothing racy please! Just innocent stuff. And also I'm not sure of whether I want to incorporate Misao and Aoshi into the story. I think it'll only drag it on much much longer. Also I don't plan to put in any Sano/Megumi or Misao/Aoshi (if I put them in this story) get together scenes. I'd rather just focus on the relationship between Kenshin/Kaoru/Soujiro. ^_^

Thanks to all my reviewers:

Nicky, wolfpack, Uenki, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato,  Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, Luna Angel, kaoru-no-tanuki, Ana, CurlsofSerenity, Jouchano8, Moonwind, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!


	9. Author's Notes and Reader Responses

Author's Notes and Reviewer Thanks:

Hi! I just wanted to thank all the reviewers and everything in this. Sorry if you guys were expecting another chapter, but luckily I've finished the next one. I just need to re-read it and correct it. I'll post it sometime this weekend I guess. Or maybe on Monday.. hehe..

Here are some answers to your questions:

1.) This is a K/K fic

2.) Kenshin will be coming back in Chapter 9

Oh yeah, this is off topic, but I was wondering if you guys can suggest any anime series that's really good. Somewhat similar to that of "Rurouni Kenshin" or "Inuyasha" or "Fushigi Yuugi" hehe .. I haven't seen any other anime other than those three. Thanks much!

**Nicky** – Thanks for all your comments!!! You're one of my favorite reviewers ^_^ Thanx for reviewing all of my chapters so far. I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. I promise that there will be more Soujiro/Kaoru scenes later on. Haha. . probably more of everything actually.

**Wolfpack ** - Thanks. I hope you're enjoying the plot.

**Uenki** – Yep, this is going to a K/K fic. Thanks!

**Sanosuke Sagara** – Hi hi. I took your comments to heart. I had a plot going if Soujiro/Kaoru were going to end up together, but I didn't want to put Kenshin through so much pain. It wouldn't be fair. Hehe ..

**Princess of Darkness and me** - =D =D Thanks for reviewing all of my chapters!!! Umm.. I'll reveal what the note says exactly in the very next chapter. I should be uploading that tomorrow or maybe Monday? I'm not sure yet. Also, Kenshin will be coming back in Chapter 9 (so it's the chapter after the next one) ^_^ Hehe . .I can't wait to start writing how Kenshin is gonna feel. =/ I'm so bad. 

Oh and to answer your other question about Kaoru's father being dead. Well, in some way he is. Hehe . .I know that doesn't make any sense, but it will be revealed in later chapters.

**Tsugoi Karkarlena** – Thanks for your review. I hope you like the fic.

**Phoenix//08** – Hi hi. I'm glad you're enjoying my story. Umm..as I mentioned in one of my Author's notes, I got the idea from

            About Kaoru having amnesia = "Oblivion" and "That's It"

            About Soujiro's personality = "Patchwork Family" and "Anata No Tame Ni"

Those are all great stories! I suggest you check them out. The only one that is not completed is "Anata No Tame Ni" =( . .that's a k/k/sou fic.

**Lil DragonLex** – Thanks for your comment. I didn't know about the anonymous review thing. Thnx for pointing it out. I hope you are enjoying my story. 

**Kenshinfan** – Hi, hi .. thnx for your review =D I'm glad you like the plot so far. I hope to keep up to par with your standards ^_^

**Souryusen** – Aww. . that's very sweet ^_^ thnx for your review!

**Beriath** – I'm happy you're enjoying the story so far ^_^ thanks

**Chibi** – Hi hi. Thanks for your reviews. I'm sorry this is not a sou/kao fic, but Soujiro won't be hurt in the end.

**Shippo** – inuyasha's shippo is so kawaii! =D anyways, this is a k/k fic. Gomen. But look at comments to chibi for explanation.

**Moonwind** – Gomen, this is a K/K fic. Look at comments to chibi for explanation.

**Kato** – Thanks for all of your comments. I'm glad you're enjoying the fic so far. I know we like the Soujiro/Kaoru pairing, but I decided not to do that for this one. I'll do it for another fic though. Have you read "Let snow fall" .. It's a Sou/Kao fic. I find it easier to read because Kenshin is an ass to Kaoru in this one. Oh yeah. I'm glad you like the action scenes. I find those very difficult to write. Aiyo ^_^

**Luna Angel** – Lol .. your comments are very .. how do you say .. graphic? Lol.. keep them coming.

**CurlsofSerenity** – thanks for your comments! =D I really enjoy reading them. Hehe .. they summarize pretty much the entire chapter.

**Pimp** – I'm glad you're enjoying my fic. ^_^

**Innocence** – I like the Soujiro/Kaoru pairing also. I think they're both very cute. I mean they both would make a cute couple. Hehehe .. 

**JouchanO8** – Thanks for your reviews. I got the idea from reading a couple fics about Kaoru losing her memory and also a fic about Soujiro/Kaoru pairing. I think Sou-chan is so sexy. .hehe =x

**Ana** – I'm glad you're enjoying my plot so far. There will be more twists ahead. ^_^ Ohohohoho..

**KaOrU-nO-tAnUkI** – I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I will try to update asap. =D thnx . .I like fics with Soujiro in it too =D he's so adorable. Aww . .

**Pushpitake** – Thanks for your review. This is a Kenshin/Kaoru fic. If Misao and Aoshi are gonna be in the fic, they won't be such a big deal as the other characters. And such I won't be developing relationships between Sano/Megumi or Misao/Aoshi because it will waver from the actual story. I just plan to focus on the Kaoru/Kenshin/Soujiro relationship. It's enough as it is =)


	10. Disheartened Discoveries

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine . . . and I hate it, hate it, hate it .. ^_^

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 8**

****Previously at Dr. Shigeru's office

Sano looked at Yahiko thoughtfully and put one of his hands on the boy's shoulders. Yahiko looked up at Sano as he began to speak. "You're right. I think Kaoru was here before."

Sanosuke handed the papers that he had found earlier over to young boy.

Yahiko gasped.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

As the bullet blasted out of the gun, Kaoru with a burst of speed pushed Soujiro out of the way. 

The sound of the bullet hitting flesh was painful. The boy was in shock, he hadn't sensed that man. He looked over to Kaoru, she was slumped on the floor in pain.

_Aarggh . .. What's wrong with me? How come I didn't see that coming?, _he thought. Soujiro had never felt this much anguish and hatred since he was young.  

_She was protecting me . . . and she got hurt, _Soujiro thought angrily. 

Soujiro quickly looked behind him and saw the man who was holding the weapon. While unsheathing his katana, he dashed over to the attacker's side and thrust his sword into his target. The guard didn't have time to react as in the blink of an eye the boy had disappeared and reappeared right in front of him. The man had a sickening smile plastered on his face as blood gurgled up from his throat and a small river of red dripped from his mouth. Soujiro, instead of the usual placid smile on his face, had a scowl as he none to gently pulled his katana out of the man's stomach.

He quickly flicked the blood off of the sword and sheathed it. He turned around and saw Kaoru's limp body on the ground, a small pool of red was forming around her shoulders.

He ran over to her side and got on his knees while turning her body over to face him. Kaoru's eyes were flickering because of the pain and shock of everything that had happened thus far. As her vision began to focus she saw Soujiro's face, but it was his eyes that struck her the most. His blue eyes were full of concern and warmth as he checked her wound. As he propped her head up with his hand, her blue ribbon became undone and her hair came loose.

He let out a sigh of relief after he checked where the bullet had penetrated into her skin.

The wound was not serious. Luckily the bullet had only hit her in her upper right shoulder, nowhere near any of her vital organs. He looked into her eyes and smiled warmly as he lightly touched her cheek with his fingers.

"Kamiya-san, onegai .. look at me. You're going to be fine. I'll take care of you," Soujiro said with sincere compassion.

Kaoru's lips curled up a little in her attempt to smile back at him, but then she winced in pain from the wound in her shoulder. He untied the cloth from her mouth and the bindings on her hands in a hurry and with one quick swoop carried her body and dashed out of the room and into the night. The only remnants of Kaoru being there was her favorite blue ribbon, half of it soaked with her blood on the wooden floor.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Yahiko was speechless. His big brown eyes turned up towards Sano disbelievingly. _Please tell me this is not true_, his eyes were pleading to the ex-gangster.

Sanosuke could only gaze at the boy sadly. He opened his mouth to say something that would ease the boy's tension, but no words could come.

Yahiko noticed his friend's inability to reply and only looked back down at the paper.

Patient: No name 

_Sex: Female_

_Description: Young woman. Age about 18-20. Blue eyes with raven-black hair. Wearing a dark purple kimono with silver butterflies on it. _

_Came in during the night with a young man carrying her. No serious wounds except for a dart that had hit the back of her neck. When she woke up, she couldn't remember anything, not even her name. I am keeping her here for the night, but I am returning her with to the man that brought her in here tomorrow since she has no serious conditions that need to be treated._

_Her case of amnesia is due to the serum from the dart that had penetrated her cerebral fluids. I'm not sure how long it will take for her to retrieve all of her memory (In other such cases, it has taken from weeks to months to even years). _

Yahiko gulped. _Kaoru has amnesia?_ Then he looked back up at Sanosuke whose eyes were glazed over. Yahiko said in a soft voice, "What should we do now?"

Sano snapped out of his daze when he heard Yahiko's voice. "Let's go see Megumi and report this to Saitou." As they started to exit the room, Sano noticed how depressed Yahiko looked and ruffled the boy's spiky hair. He added, "Don't worry Yahiko-chan, we'll find our Jou-chan." Yahiko smiled at him. He had needed to hear that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -

It was nighttime by the time they arrived at the police station again. Sano strutted over to Saitou's office without announcing his presence to the police officer at the desk.

"Hey! Hey!! Hey you!!" yelled the police officer who Sano had passed. "Where are you going?!?!"

Sano and Yahiko ignored the officer's outbursts and pushed open Saitou's door.

"Saitou!" Sano commanded.

Saitou turned around in his chair pausing in the middle of his paperwork. He was pissed. Because of this entire ordeal with his old acquaintance Fujimoto Akane, he was not able to have dinner with his wife, Tokio as he had promised. Out of frustration and annoyance from the two unwelcome visitors, he snapped his pen in half. 

"Watch your tone, ahou! Do you know who you're talking to?" Saitou asked curtly.

Then all of a sudden the police officer ran into Saitou's office. "Sorry Captain Fujita, sir. These people came running in here and I couldn't stop them. What do you want me to do with them?" he asked as he peered up at Sano's tall figure, a little intimidated. 

Saitou snarled at the police officer, glaring his yellow wolf-like eyes at him. The young officer gulped. "Uh . . . sir?" he said shakily.

"Ahou," he started while taking a puff of his cigarette as he watched the officer, "the next time you make such a mistake, you're fired." Then he added, "Leave."

"H . h . .hai, Captain Fujita sir" the officer said stumbling over his own words. He was scared and glancing back at Sano's figure, he quickly rushed out of the room while closing the door behind him.

"This better be good ahous," Saitou remarked at the two who were left standing in his room.

The ex-gangster walked over to Saitou and slammed the papers that he found at the doctor's office on Saitou's desk. Saitou glared at him then looked down at the papers. He was none too surprised to see splatters of blood on them. He read through the papers. His expression as calm as possible. Then he looked up at the two visitors again as he began to speak.

"So Kamiya can't remember anything, eh?" Saitou commented as he smirked.

Sano and Yahiko were boiling in their anger at Saitou's indifference towards their situation, but tried to keep as calm as possible because they knew that only Saitou could help them find her.

"Yes. When we got there the doctor, Dr. Shiraku, was already slain. Did you find out any more information about her whereabouts or what this Fujimoto guy wants with our Jou-chan?" Sano stammered.

Saitou just glanced back up at Sanosuke sincerely annoyed. He turned back to his paperwork let out a sigh and said, "Nothing so far. Those two ahous in the cell don't know anything else."

Sanosuke and Yahiko looked at one another, they decided it would be best to go back since Saitou obviously didn't have any other useful information for them.

"If you find out any information, you better tell us," Sano remarked as they left the room.

"Ahou," Saitou replied under his breath without looking up. _Damn paperwork!, he thought in disgust as he started on another cigarette._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - 

It was late afternoon when Kaoru started to wake up. She wanted to get up from her futon and stretch, but while getting up she realized a sharp pain in her right shoulder.

"Itai!" she exclaimed as she gently touched her shoulder.

Then she heard a door slide open. She looked to the side.

"Kamiya-san, please lie down. Your wound hasn't healed yet," said Soujiro.

"I don't remember what happened Soujiro. Can you tell me?" asked Kaoru weakly as she was lying back down onto the futon with Soujiro's help. When she was fully rested on the blankets, Soujiro related to her the whole story even what he had heard the boss say about Kaoru's father. She tried to piece together all the information she learned like putting together pieces of a puzzle, but she couldn't because she didn't have all the pieces in the first place. There were lots of holes in the story. She muttered to herself how confusing this all was to her. Her head started to ache from all the thinking. Soujiro noticed this and told her to get some more rest while he would make some dinner. As he left, Kaoru's eyes started to drift close and she fell into a deep sleep.

While Soujiro was preparing the miso soup, he was pondering about what to do next.

_I'm glad that her wound is healing very rapidly. It's good that I didn't take her to another doctor, if I did that guy might find her again and this time I might not be so lucky in finding her_, he thought with a grim expression on his face. He took out a knife and started cutting up more of the carrots in monotonous succession. Soujiro looked around the kitchen of the house that he had found while he was leaving the hideout the past night. The house on top of the small in the outskirts of Tokyo seemed to be abandoned so he thought it would be safe to stay there the night.

Hmm . . .Kamiya-san is so different from the other people that I have met. She pushed me out of the way of the bullet without even knowing much about me, she risked her life. All I know is that I will use my life to protect her no matter what. Who would want to hurt her? She's like an angel, so beautiful. Remembering how she felt in his arms, he smiled. She smells like jasmin . . . eck, what's that smell?

His thoughts were abandoned when he saw that some of the fish was burning. _Oh no!_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Kaoru was in a restless nap. Her head kept moving to the left and right, she was having a bombardment of images coming into her head. But none of those images were clear, they were too blurry to be recognizable. The sounds were faint and she couldn't make out the voices exactly. 

_Flashes of a tall man who was smiling at her while handing her a bokken. A dojo. A bridge. The word "Evil". A short boy with spiky hair. Yellow eyes. And the most intriguing of all, red hair._

She woke up from her sleep and shook her head as to gather her thoughts from her dreams. "Eh?" she asked aloud as she looked around the room. _Where am I?_, she thought, but then remembered how Soujiro had saved her and tended to her wound in her arm. She let out a sigh and tried to get up. Using her better arm, she pulled herself up and started stumbling over to the shoji door to look for her friend.

When she left the room, she smelled food burning. Kaoru wrinkled her nose up at the unwelcome scent. As she made her way to the kitchen she saw the figure before her working on some miso soup. Her eyes were frozen on the spot as her mouth dropped open in an "o".

The man in front of her had long red hair and was wearing a magenta gi.

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

**Random Omake:**

"This better be good ahous," Saitou remarked at the two who were left standing in his room.

The ex-gangster walked over to Saitou and slammed the papers that he found at the doctor's office on Saitou's desk. The desk broke in two. Sano looked at Saitou in fear, Saitou's left eye started twitching.

"Umm . . sorry?" said sheepishly.  Before Saitou could look up at Sano, Sano yells frantically out to the author, "Could we do that over again?"

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review!!!

Thanks for all of your comments and reviews. They really make my day ^_^ hehe .. 

Also, I was thinking of starting another fic (after I'm done with this one of course). But it'll be a Inuyasha/RK cross over ^_^ hehe .. except Kaoru will be in Inuyasha's world. Etc etc. .

I was wondering if any of you could suggest some titles for the chapters that I have up already? I have trouble coming up with them. 

Thanks to all my reviewers ~!~

Nicky, wolfpack, Uenki, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato,  Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, chibi frog, Luna Angel, hoots, kaoru-no-tanuki, Ana, CurlsofSerenity, pushpitake,  Inugirl, kiki, kim, john, Poohbear, Jouchano8, Moonwind, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!

Anime lover- thanks for all the suggestions on anime! =D I think I'll start with the "Ayashi No Ceres"..umm..by the way, I was wondering if you knew whether or not "Naruto" is completed yet? Or is it still going on? Keke..just wondering. Thanks.


	11. The Ribbon

Disclaimer: Sou-chan and Kenshin are not mine. =(

**Author's Note**: The whole ordeal with Kaoru's parents will be revealed later on. (gomen . .I know it sounds kinda confusing right now, but it's meant to be like that). Also one of my reviewers, Kay Kaylo, pointed out that even though Kaoru had a cloth around her mouth, she would still be able to make some noise. This is true, however, because of the cloth, her voice was muffled and so no coherent or understandable words could come out. 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 9**

When she left the room, she smelled food burning. Kaoru wrinkled her nose up at the unwelcome scent. As she made her way to the kitchen she saw the figure before her working on some miso soup. Her eyes were frozen on the spot as her mouth dropped open in an "o".

The man in front of her had long red hair and was wearing a magenta gi.

- - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - 

Kaoru shook her head and blinked as she focused her eyes. Her eyes readjusted to the surroundings and she breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Soujiro turn his head around with a look of worry sketched on his face.

_What was that just now?_ _Mou, I'm hallucinating_, she thought with a frown.

"Kamiya-san! You shouldn't be out of bed," Soujiro reprimanded her as he was approaching her.

She looked up at him apologetically. "Gomen Sou-chan, but I was having trouble sleeping and I was starting to get hungry." As she said this her stomach started to rumble loudly and he smiled at her. She was embarrassed and suddenly grew interest at the floor. Then remembering what she had said to him, the boy blurted out in a confused state, "Sou .. –chan?"

Her face started to become red as she looked back at his face. "I hope you don't mind me calling you that," she replied with a bright smile.

He gave her a warm smile. "Iie, . . I like the sound of that," he said sincerely as she smiled back at him. Then remembering the food, he said to her with a sheepish smile on his face and a hand scratching the back of his head, "Ano .. Kamiya-san, I kind of burnt the fish."

Kaoru face-vaulted. Soujiro looked up at her and blushed with embarrassment. Seeing the reaction on Soujiro's face, she started to giggle only to laugh louder after seeing the boy's look of confusion. _Aargh, she yelped in pain. She had forgotten that she still had the wound in her shoulder. Soujiro instantly came out of his confusion and helped Kaoru sit down. He looked over at her wound and decided that he should re-bandage it. Kaoru looked over at him graciously as he was tending to her shoulder. She put her hand on his hand that was rebandaging her wounds and squeezed it gently. Soujiro looked up at her and smiled. They gazed into one another's eyes for the next couple of seconds, which almost seemed like an eternity. The depths of the blue pools, which they were looking at, entranced both of them. Kaoru was the first to snap out of the daze and mentally slapped herself for looking at him for so long. She blushed and said to Soujiro, "Arigato, Sou-chan." Then she removed her hand from his and he smiled while he got up from his position to get the miso soup for the both of them._

_What was that?_, he thought to himself in disbelief. He looked back at her and saw that she was in a kneeling position again finding interest in the ground. Her cheeks were still tinted pink. He smiled to himself as he saw the sight before him. _Kirei. He got the miso soup and returned to Kaoru's side while they both ate dinner in silence. Both of them were still embarrassed about the earlier situation. _

Soujiro broke the silence.  "Kamiya-san, have any of your memories returned yet?"

Kaoru looked a bit frazzled when he asked her this and replied in a solemn voice, "No, not much. Nothing that I can make sense of right now."

He noticed her uncomfortable state when he brought the topic up and decided to talk about something else. "Well, we're going to need to stay here for the next couple of days until your injury is healed."

Kaoru gazed at him. _Sou-chan is so caring. He didn't want me to feel uncomfortable by asking more questions about my past. _She gave him a smile and then said, "Just be sure not to burn the fish next time, ne Sou-chan?" She laughed when he gave a look of embarrassment yet again.

"Kamiya-san, don't embarrass me," he replied in a joking tone. He got up and picked up her the dishes so he could clean them. 

"Sou-chan, could you tell me a bit about yourself?" asked Kaoru. Soujiro's stomach clenched, he didn't want to tell her about his past, how he had been known as Tenken and how he was a part of the Juppongatana. He looked back at her and gave her his usual smile.

"Maybe some other time Kamiya-san. You need to rest now."

"Mou! Sou-chan!" Kaoru replied with a gruff.

"Maa maa Kamiya-san. I'll help you get back to bed," Soujiro said lightly as he helped her get up.

"Arigato," she said. When they got back to her room, he slowly placed her onto the futon. Kaoru was really exhausted from the little exertion that she put forth that day and also because of the flashbacks that she had been having. Before drifting to sleep she wished her friend good night.

"Oyasumi nasai, Kamiya-san," Soujiro said sweetly as he started to close her shoji door. _Kamiya-san looks so innocent when she sleeps, _he thought with a small smile. Then he headed towards the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - -  - 

Back in Megumi's office

"Oi fox! I thought Dr. Genzai and them were coming home today," Sano said gruffly.

"Something came up so they're not coming back until the next day. My, my, why are you so interested?" Megumi asked with a smirk.

"Feh!" Sano ignored her with a wave.

Yahiko was kneeling on the floor looking at both Megumi and Sano. He was in a stupor. They waited the whole day and there was not one word from the police about Kaoru's whereabouts yet. What's worse is that Kenshin was scheduled to come back the very next day. All of them knew that, which only led to the increased tension in the air.

KNOCK KNOCK 

"I wonder who that could be?" Megumi asked aloud as she made her way to open the door.  Half of her was delighted and half of her was filled with dread when she saw the guest at her doorstop.

"Excuse me, is Sagara Sanosuke here?" the policeman asked her formally.

"Hai hai," Megumi replied as she opened her door wider to allow the guest into the building.

When Yahiko and Sanosuke heard, they quickly ran out of the room to meet him.

"D-Did you find out anything about Kaoru?" asked the young boy before Sano could get a word out. Sanosuke blurted out the same thing a millisecond after Yahiko had started.

The policeman looked at the both of them and nodded solemnly. He brushed off both of his hands as he kneeled down and began to tell them what they had found. Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Megumi's heart clenched as he opened his mouth, afraid for the worst news.

"Today we went to scout around the Tokyo area, looking for the gang's hide out. We heard a lot of complaints from people stating that they heard a lot of noise near the rundown restaurant in the more unpleasant part of town. Learning of this, Captain Fujita-san sent us to investigate the incident."

Everyone held his breath as the officer continued. _This doesn't sound so good, thought Yahiko with dread._

"Well, when we arrived at the scene, the whole place was practically in shackles. There were about twenty-four bodies knocked unconscious and one who was dead, impaled by a katana. We didn't see any sign of Kamiya-san. However, we did find this on the ground," the officer said as he pulled out a blue ribbon from his coat.

Megumi, Sanosuke, and Yahiko's eyes grew wide when they instantly recognized it as it had belonged to Kaoru and it was the ribbon that she had been wearing when they were attacked that night.  But they paled considerably when they found that half of the pretty ribbon was soaked with blood.

"I'm sorry. We haven't found out any more information yet though," he replied in a monotone voice. He took a breath then continued seeing that no one else was talking. "We've apprehended those that were found unconscious and have thrown them in jail. However, not one of them has come back to consciousness. We asked the doctor and they said that we should be able to interrogate them tomorrow morning. Captain Fujita-san said that he would allow you both to be there when he questions them."

The two of them nodded at the officer.

"Thank you for your time," the officer said courteously as he got back up and out the door. Megumi and the others did not move from their positions to walk the officer out due to their shock. Sanosuke was still clutching the bloody ribbon tightly, so much so that his knuckles were turning white. Everyone had a glazed expression in their faces as they stared at the ribbon.

Megumi's eyes started to tear up. She looked at Sano and Yahiko. Both of them looked so lost. She gathered up her courage as she said to them, "Don't worry. We'll find out everything tomorrow morning. Let's not jump to conclusions so quickly."

Sano and Yahiko looked over to Megumi as she spoke and the words registered into their brains. _Yes, we shouldn't jump to conclusions like this_, both of them thought. They nodded at what she said and came back to their senses.

As they got up, Yahiko interjected sullenly, "I think I'm going to head back to the dojo. Kenshin should be coming home tomorrow. It would be better if I was there to tell him what happened."

Sano looked at the boy and agreed. "I'll come with you, Yahiko." Then he looked over at Megumi and put a hand on her shoulder as she blinked away the tears that had started to fill her eyes. "You take care, Megumi." He smiled at her and pulled her in with a quick embrace.

_Thanks Sano. I needed that_, Megumi thought as she lay her head on his chest contentedly. They ended it reluctantly as she saw Sano and Yahiko out the door. When both of their figures started to disappear into the night, Megumi shut the door.  Her body slumped against the wooden door and slowly her knees gave way until she was sitting on the floor. Tears that were unshed were now coming down like waterfalls. 

_Kami-sama. I hope Kaoru is okay_, she wished as she saw in her mind a flash of the doll that Enishi had used to portray that Kaoru was killed. Megumi shuddered at the thought. _No, no .. Kaoru is going to be fine. They didn't find her body there. She's going to be fine_, she said trying to convince herself.

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The next morning at Kamiya dojo

Yahiko and Sano sat around waiting for Kenshin's return. Sano still clutched the same ribbon in his palm. The wait was excruciating for their nerves. Every little noise made them jump out of the room to see if Kenshin had come back. Around the thirtieth odd time Yahiko got up to look at the front door, Sano mumbled under his breath, "Enough is enough."

"Oi Yahiko," Sano called out.

"Yeah? What do you want?" asked Yahiko grumpily as he sat back down in the room.

"You're making me nervous. Just sit and wait," complained Sanosuke.

Yahiko looked at him and seeing at how nervous his friend was also, he nodded. They waited until mid afternoon when they heard the familiar shuffling of footsteps. Both of them held their breath as the familiar man with red hair and a cross-scar walked into the room. They looked up at him silently. 

Kenshin smiled and pleasantly said with the familiar rurouni smile, "Hi Sano and Yahiko. Where is . . ." His smile started to falter when he saw the mellow look on both of his friends' faces as he greeted them. Kenshin looked over at Sano and saw that he was clutching something tightly in his fist. His eyes stared down at the familiar blue cloth. His eyes grew wide and everything went black.

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- To be continued

 **Author's Notes:**

Hi! Please read and review !!!! =D Wow, this story is becoming longer than I thought it would be. Hehe .. ^_^ There are still plenty of twists and stuff up ahead.  And now Kenshin is back !!! =D =D =D =D . . Hmm .. what can I do to him .. Author smiles evilly There will also be some more  ^_^ Soujiro/Kaoru waff. Anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying it so far.

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

Nicky, wolfpack, Uenki, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato,  Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, chibi frog, Luna Angel, hoots, kaoru-no-tanuki, Ana, CurlsofSerenity, pushpitake,  Inugirl, kiki, kim, john, Poohbear, Jouchano8, anime lover, Clemen, Miya-chan, Kyoznekozukigirl, Aino Saori, wudnt u like 2 kno, kuru kuru 17, Moonwind, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!

Anime Freako – Aww. . thanks .. your comment was very flattering ^_^ .. lol .. when I said that, I didn't mean it _that way_. ;P


	12. The Return of the Rurouni

**Disclaimer:**

Kenshin announces to readers, "Nobuhiro Watsuro-dono owns me, Sano, Yahiko, Megumi-dono, Misao-dono, Aoshi, Shishio, Saitou, Soujiro,. ."

Sano: "Why don't you just say everyone you idiot?"

Kenshin glares at him and continues, "Nobuhiro-dono owns everyone except Kaoru-dono."

Sano looks up at him confused.

Kaoru asks, "Eh? What do you mean Kenshin?"

Kenshin glances at Kaoru and winks.

Kaoru blushes.

Yahiko looks at the couple annoyed, "You guys make me sick! Bleh!"

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 10**

They waited until mid afternoon when they heard the familiar shuffling of footsteps. Both of them held their breath as the familiar man with red hair and a cross-scar walked into the room. They looked up at him silently. 

Kenshin smiled and pleasantly said with the familiar rurouni smile, "Hi Sano and Yahiko. Where is . . ." His smile started to falter when he saw the mellow look on both of his friends' faces as he greeted them. Kenshin looked over at Sano and saw that he was clutching something tightly in his fist. His eyes stared down at the familiar blue cloth. His eyes grew wide and everything went black.

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Kenshin could feel that there was something wrong when he first approached the dojo. It was too quiet. Kaoru was not there to greet him with her usual smile and say, "Okaeri nasai, Kenshin." He could also sense the air of sadness around the entire place especially when he entered the room where Sanosuke and Yahiko were sitting around quietly. He began to greet them when he noticed the blue ribbon and how it was tinged with blood. _Blood?!?!?! He started to feel weak as his knees gave way to the ground below._

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"Kenshin?! KENSHIN! KENSHIN!" both Sanosuke and Yahiko were yelling at the man clad in the magenta gi as they rushed to his side. He was on his knees when they reached him. They looked at his eyes, even though they were open, they didn't focus on anything. It was just glazed over. Yahiko was shaking the body back and forth while yelling his name. Sano ran out of the room and came back with the laundry tub.

SPLASH 

He dumped the water on top of Kenshin's body. Kenshin started to blink and his mind began to register what had happened.

Yahiko glared daggers at Sano, "You could have at least told me you were going to dump water on Kenshin!" The poor boy was soaking wet now, his hair was matted to his forehead. Sano just grinned at him. "I'll get you back for this you tori-atama!" Yahiko said viciously with his fists clenched in the air waving it at Sano.

Kenshin snapped out of the daze and looked at both Sano and Yahiko with trembling eyes. "Tell me what happened to Kaoru-dono!" he demanded frantically.

Sano and Yahiko stopped their little bout and looked solemnly at Kenshin's face. They told him exactly what had happened and what the police had found so far.  Kenshin could only sit stupefied throughout the entire tale.

_Kaoru. . .I should never have left your side. . . This .. this .. this is all my fault_, Kenshin thought in pain as he looked down at his hands.

Sano and Yahiko looked how distraught the man was in front of them. They didn't want him to return to what he was when he thought that Kaoru had died. Sano acted quickly and pulled the man back up on his feet and dragged him to the front gate. Yahiko followed them carrying his trusty bokken.

"Kenshin," he started firmly, "Nothing is for sure yet. We need to go to the police station and find out what those bastards know about our Jou-chan. Come on. This mood of yours won't save Kaoru from where ever she is right now."

Kenshin looked up at him with a renewed optimism. _Yes, her body wasn't found at that hide out. She could be fine. I have to go find her and save her, he thought with determination. Sano reassuringly patted Kenshin's back as they started to trek towards the Tokyo police station._

Yahiko looked on at the scene before him with a new respect for Sanosuke. _He acts like a baka sometimes, but he sure knows what to say_, he thought with a smirk as he started to follow his friends out the gate of the dojo.

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Kaoru had many dreams the night before as she woke up from her sleep in the mid-afternoon. She looked around her and adjusted to her surroundings. Then she heard a shoji door slide open, she turned her head towards the visitor.

"O—ohayo, Kamiya-san. I was just going to wake you up to tell you that breakfast is done," Soujiro said with a smiled, surprised that she was already awake.

"Arigato, Sou-chan. I'll be ready in a minute," replied Kaoru.

Soujiro nodded and left the room. Kaoru got up slowly, but surely and picked up her old kimono. _Eh? It's clean? And the tears are mended? _Kaoru looked at her clothing confusedly, then she smiled warmly at her next thought. _Sou-chan must have cleaned and mended my kimono. She changed into her kimono and walked out to the kitchen with a bright smile on her face._

The boy saw Kaoru as she walked in and smiled at her. _She looks so beautiful when she smiles. I hope to see her smile more often, he thought. __I wonder what this feeling in my heart is when I look at her and see her smiling at me. But whatever the feeling was, Soujiro just knew that he enjoyed it. He brought her some miso soup and fish that was not burnt this time._

Kaoru looked at the fish and then glanced back up at him. "So Sou-chan, you didn't burn the fish this time, eh?" she questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Maa, maa Kamiya-san. It was by accident I burned it last time," he said with a laugh. They had a very enjoyable breakfast. Both of them ate and laughed to their hearts' content. After breakfast, Kaoru suggested that they go outside and take a walk. Soujiro agreed.

They went outside and Kaoru noticed how blue the skies were and how green the trees were. Soujiro watched Kaoru's expressions as she gazed at the nature before them. He smiled. _I like being with her like this. It gives me peace_, he thought. 

Kaoru looked at him and said, "Let's take a break and sit down here." He nodded and they both sat down on the old log.

"Sou-chan," she began as Soujiro gazed in her direction. "I've been having these weird dreams lately. I think they have something to do with my past." She fidgeted and looked down at her hands. Soujiro smiled at her, but was a little sad because he didn't want her to leave him once she remembered her past. He put his hand on hers and squeezed, encouraging her to continue what she was saying.

She looked up at him and her courage came back.

"Well, in my dreams the images I see are blurry. I can't put a name or face to anyone. However, I do hear voices. Voices that are mere murmurs and are not distinct," Kaoru let out a sigh because she was having so much trouble remembering her past. 

Soujiro saw that she was distressed and patted her back lightly.

She looked down and played with her hands as she continued, "In my dreams, I hear people calling me. At .. at least I think they are calling me. I - - I think they called me Kaoru. One voice in my dream called me busu though." Her face frowned when she mentioned this. 

Soujiro laughed lightly and stopped himself when she looked at him with a pout. "Iie. . Kamiya-san, you are very beautiful," he said warmly.

Her heart fluttered when he complimented her so sincerely. She blushed and then continued, shifting her gaze to the tree in front of them, "That's all I can remember right now. I wonder .. I wonder how long it will take me to remember everything. . . but what if .. what if I don't?" She looked at him with watery eyes and hands clenched together.

Soujiro looked at her eyes and said, "Don't worry Kamiya-san .. or should I call you Kaoru-san?" he said with a smile. _Kaoru .. Kaoru .. that is such a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman, he thought as he continued to watch her as she returned the smile. He put an arm around her and said to her, "I'm sure that you'll regain all of your memories." Pausing then continuing while looking into her eyes once more as he grew serious, "I want you to know that I'll always be here for you no matter what, Kaoru-san."_

She gazed into his blue eyes and she smiled, a smile from her heart. _I wonder .. I wonder if and when I do get all my memories back . . . .  can I still be with you . . .  Sou-chan?_, she thought. Then she rested her head on his shoulder and both of them watched the purple and blue hues of the sky as the sun began to set.

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"SAITOU!" Kenshin demanded fiercely as he barged into Saitou's office. The man looked up from his desk and saw three unwanted figures looming near the doorway.

He smirked. "Battousai, not even a formal greeting? What did I tell you about coming in here unannounced?"

Kenshin, not flinching, continued with a low growl, "I don't have time for your games, Saitou. Tell me what happened to Kaoru."

Sano and Yahiko gasped when they heard that he had left out the –dono.

Saitou looked him in the eye, pleased with what he saw. _How interesting, he thought as he watched the dance of amber and purple hues in his eyes. "My, my . . .," he sighed as he took a puff of his cigarette. "It seems that someone woke up on the wrong side of the futon." A slight wolf-like smirk appears on his face as he looks at his fingers._

_That bastard is enjoying this_, Sano thought furiously with his fists clenched by his side. 

Yahiko upset also, narrowed his eyes at the wolf.

Kenshin let out another low menacing growl, "Saitou. Don't play with me."

Saitou got up slowly from his desk and walked towards the door. The three of them glared at his back from behind. The man turned around and looked at the three of them casually.

"Well, why are you standing there? Let's go pay a visit to the people who took your woman," he said as his mouth curled up into another smirk. _I'm enjoying this too much,_ thought Saitou as he glanced at the well-controlled fury playing on Kenshin's face. Kenshin followed behind Saitou with his eyes looking straight ahead. Sano and Yahiko trudged behind them guided by the smell of nicotine and once again they were in the familiar dark hallways of the Tokyo jail.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review !! 

Thanks for all the comments so far. 

If you didn't catch the earlier part in the beginning where she thought she saw Kenshin (cuz of red hair and magenta gi) it was because of an episode that she was having due to amnesia. So she doesn't recognize Kenshin's appearance etc. 

Oh yeah .. about Kenshin's personality coming up in the later chapters: 

He's not going to go totally battousai. (gomenasai battousai fans ..) Eh .. he'll be kinda half and half somewhat.. balancing both personalities.

Thanks to all my reviewers!!

Nicky, AnimeFreako, wolfpack, Uenki, somebody, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato,  Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, chibi frog, Luna Angel, hoots, kaoru-no-tanuki, Ana, CurlsofSerenity, pushpitake,  Inugirl, kiki, kim, john, Poohbear, Jouchano8, anime lover, Clemen, Miya-chan, Kyoznekozukigirl, Aino Saori, wudnt u like 2 kno, kuru kuru 17, Moonwind, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!


	13. Interrogations and Assumptions

Disclaimer: Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Sigh .. 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 11**

Saitou got up slowly from his desk and walked towards the door. The three of them glared at his back from behind. The man turned around and looked at the three of them casually.

"Well, why are you standing there? Let's go pay a visit to the people who took your woman," said as his mouth curled up into another smirk. _I'm enjoying this too much,_ thought Saitou as he glanced as Kenshin. Kenshin followed behind Saitou with his eyes looking straight ahead. Sano and Yahiko trudged behind them guided by the smell of nicotine and once again in the familiar dark hallways of the Tokyo jail.

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CLICK CLICK CLICK   

The sounds of Saitou's heels echoed down the dark hallway. The prisoners were getting a bit restless and nervous, (one moment they were at their hideout defending the boss and now they were behind bars).

_CLICK CLICK (pause)_

Saitou turned towards the door and took out the keys. _Jiggle jiggle and unlocked the door. The prisoners looked up and held their breath. All was silent as they waited for their visitors to speak._

Saitou looked at the ten people in this cell. _Damn, I have to go question the other prisoners after I'm done with these. Feh. He took the cigarette from his lips with his two fingers and slightly tapped it. The red ashes fell soundlessly to the floor. _

The tall policeman strode over to the prisoners with another shorter man following close behind him. The prisoners fidgeted uneasily as they watched the two pairs of amber eyes glare back at them. Saitou smirked at their display of fear. He looked at the one nearest him.

"Tell us what happened. Where is Fujimoto Akane?" he asked curtly.

Kenshin glared up at Saitou seeing that he was not going to ask anything else and interjected with a low growl, "Why did you have to take the girl? Is your boss such a coward that he is too afraid to face me himself?"

The prisoner Saitou was looking at glanced at Kenshin confused. "Eh? Why? Who are you?"

Kenshin returned the same confused expression. Saitou smirked at Kenshin's look. "It's not always about you, Battousai." In realization of who the shorter man was, all ten of the prisoners' faces paled considerably. 

Kenshin's face tensed. _Why did they want Kaoru-dono then? _In a menacing voice he demanded of the prisoner, "Tell us what happened. What is the connection between the girl and your boss?"

The man cowered under Kenshin's scrutiny and nodded quickly. He recounted to them what had taken place. Everything from where they found the girl, what the boss said to the girl, and how some mysterious attacker showed up. None of the prisoners knew anything else about the situation other than what they had seen at their hideout. They were as surprised as the girl was when the boss said that her father was part a traitor in his clan.

Kenshin and Saitou listened with expressionless faces. Sanosuke and Yahiko who were not very good at hiding their emotions had distraught looks on their faces. They were worried about Kaoru and were totally confused at what the prisoners were telling them. _But Kaoru's father is dead! Kamiya Koshijiro died five or six years ago. What were they talking about? Even though Kenshin did not show it, he had the same thoughts as his protégés. _

As Saitou listened to their story, he thought with a wolfish grin, _this is getting more interesting than I thought._

The prisoner looked up as he continued his recount of what had happened, "Then this guy came from nowhere and tore down the door and chaos just broke out. I couldn't see him very well. I just remember going to protect the boss. The next thing I know, I'm here in jail."

"What did the man look like?" Kenshin asked.

"Iie, I'm not sure. It happened too quickly. It was all a blur, I couldn't even see him well," the man replied.

"Were any of you able to get a good look at the intruder?" Saitou questioned the entire group.

All, but one of them didn't shook their heads "no."

Both Kenshin and Saitou raised an eyebrow. "So only one of you was able to see the intruder? What a bunch of idiots," Saitou said demuringly. The prisoners grimaced at his comment. "Well, what did you see?" the police officer directed the question towards the only man who saw the intruder.

"Eh . . . . well, I heard a commotion inside the room and rushed in only to find that the boss and three other guys were running out of the building. Everything happened so fast. I wasn't able to get a view of his face, but all I know is that the man was wearing a blue gi and hakama . .. . . .  and he had brownish-black hair," the prisoner replied.

"That's all you saw?" Saitou asked curtly with his eyes narrowing. "That describes about half of the population in Japan, ahou!" The prisoner slunk back against the wall.

Then Kenshin posed a question to the same man, "Do you know what happened to the girl?"

The prisoner looked at him warily and said in a small voice as he tried to recollect his memory of the event, "Umm .." He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "I think he must have known the girl. When one of the guards had gone to attack the girl, the man had stood in front of her defending her."

This time it was Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sano who furrowed their brows in thought. _Who else does Kaoru know? Why would that man protect her?_

"Matte!" Yahiko interjected in a loud voice. Everyone's attention was diverted to him. He swallowed a gulp and continued, "The man who had knocked Shiori unconscious! He might be the same guy!" Yahiko was getting excited. _Busu might be okay!_

"Yahiko," Kenshin began, "that prisoner's description of the intruder fits with the one that you saw the night you were attacked?"

"Hai!" Yahiko replied and nodded at the same time.

Saitou examined the young samurai as he took another drag of his cigarette. "Maybe you can give a better description than that ahou over there."

Yahiko looked at him sheepishly. "Ii .. Iie .. I didn't see much either. I was half-awake because of the dart. All I saw was a man in a blue gi and hakama. However, I do remember that he was smiling."

_Smiling?_ Kenshin and Saitou thought. _No way! _Kenshin's eyes widened while Saitou just took a long puff of his cigarette.

Yahiko and Sano looked at the both of them suspiciously. "You have an idea who he is Kenshin?" Sano asked.

Kenshin looked up at his friend and gave a short sigh. "Sessha .. sessha has an idea. It may be Seta Soujiro."

Sano and Yahiko choked. "T-T-TENKEN?!?!" they both said aloud in astonishment. 

"Shit! Jou-chan is with that smiling freak?! We gotta go save her NOW! She might be in more trouble than we thought!" Sano said hurriedly as he started to rush out the cell door, Yahiko following his lead.

"Tori-atama!" Saitou said with a scowl. "And how are you going to find her? We have no leads."

Sano paused in the middle of his tracks and frowned. He hadn't thought of any plan to look for her, he just wanted to find her. Sano turned around to face Saitou, his muscles tensed. "I'll search all of Tokyo. I don't care."

Saitou scoffed at his reply, which only made Sano angrier. Kenshin walked up to his friend and said, "Maybe we should go look at all the doctors' offices here. Since she was injured, she may have been treated by one of them, de gozaru yo."

Sano's eyes lit up at Kenshin's idea. _Good thinking, Kenshin!, he thought._

"Yatta!" Yahiko proclaimed as he started to rush out the door again. Sanosuke and Kenshin were running to catch up to him.

Saitou stood back and watched the trio while taking another long drag of his cigarette. "Idiots," he said under his breath. He turned back to look at the prisoners. _Now I have to deal with these people_, he thought with a grunt. The prisoners took one look at him and cowered in their shadows.

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As Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko exited the last doctor's office in the Tokyo vicinity, they all had a feeling of wariness. 

Kenshin looked at the bloody blue ribbon that he held in his fist. He hadn't let go of it since that afternoon. _Where are you, Kaoru-dono?_, he thought sadly. 

Sanosuke and Yahiko had the same feelings. They looked over at their friend who had a melancholy look on his usually cheerful visage. They had gone throughout all the known doctors' offices and had found nothing to their utter disappointment. Not one doctor had said that they treated any girl by their description of her.

_Damn Jou-chan. You've got to be okay_, thought Sano as he grit his teeth. He still felt guilty over the fact that he couldn't protect her that night. _I'll never forgive myself if something happens to you_, he thought as he angrily kicked another small stone on the dirt pavement.

Yahiko looked up at the rooster head. Ever since his sensei had disappeared, they had very rarely resorted to their usual bickering. It only made the situation worse because it seemed as if their normal lives had stopped. The little boy's heart was heavy, he couldn't bear even thinking that his busu sister would be gone. She was in many ways, a savior to him. In the beginning, she had tried to save him from the yakuza group he was in. Later, she had taught the boy kendo to help him in his quest to become stronger. And most importantly, she had given him a family. In some ways, they were probably even closer than blood-related families.  Unbeknownst to Yahiko, tears had started to fill up in his eyes. Kenshin looked over at the young Tokyo samurai and saw it. He put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"We'll find Kaoru-dono, Yahiko," he said assuredly. Not only did Yahiko need to hear it, but both Sano and he did also. _We will find you, Kaoru-dono. No matter what it takes._

By the time they reached the dojo, it was late at night. Usually the dojo was a very welcome sight for them, but however these past few nights have been quite the opposite. The quiet, solemnity of the Kamiya dojo only added to their heartache. 

Kenshin half-expected to hear an "Okaeri nasai, Kenshin" like he had so often heard before he left for Kyoto when they arrived at the gate. But they were only met with the quiet chirping of crickets.

"I'll go prepare some dinner, de gozaru yo," Kenshin said to the two.

"I'm not hungry," Yahiko said in a solemn voice as he walked to his room. 

"Yeah, me either. Don't bother Kenshin," Sano added as he followed Yahiko.

Kenshin walked up the familiar steps of the dojo and jumped up onto the roof. He sat down and looked up at the bright stars. Tears were beginning to sting his eyes.

Kami-sama, I know I'm not worthy to ask anything of you right now, but Kaoru does not deserve any more sadness in her life. Please take care of her wherever she is right now. And .. and .. wherever she is, please give me the strength to find her.

With that last prayer, Kenshin broke down and cried, tears streaming down drop by drop, mixing with the blood on the cloth.

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- To be continued

Author's Notes: 

Please read and review! Thanks very much! I had a considerable amount of trouble writing this chapter. I myself don't really like it as much, but I wasn't sure where else to go with it. Sorry if this one is not up to par as my previous ones. =x

Saitou and Kenshin deduced that the intruder was probably Soujiro because of:

1.) Yahiko and the prisoner's description

2.) The intruder had to have been very skilled in kenjutsu to have defeated all twenty-five or so attackers at once.

3.) And also because the attackers said that they weren't able to see the intruder clearly because he moved so fast (Shukuchi)

Thanks to all my reviewers:

Nicky, AnimeFreako, wolfpack, Uenki, somebody, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato,  Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, chibi frog, Luna Angel, hoots, kaoru-no-tanuki, Ana, CurlsofSerenity, pushpitake,  Inugirl, tigerrelly, Califpinay3001, animelub, ranma sao, saotome, kiki, kim, john, Poohbear, Jouchano8, anime lover, Clemen, Miya-chan, Kyoznekozukigirl, nihongo55, Aino Saori, wudnt u like 2 kno, kuru kuru 17, Moonwind, Inuyasha chic 515, Ryuugirl, Volleygurly, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!

Kay Kylo – sorry about the misspelling of your name earlier

Ayuka – Thanks for the comment =D I'm glad you like the Soujiro/Kaoru scenes. Hehe .. I'm a K/K fan also, but I'm also partial Soujiro ^_^ Yeah, there will be something like what you mentioned in the later chapters =) 


	14. Leaving Tokyo

**Disclaimer**: No, I don't own RK. ;P

**Author's Notes**: Since last chapter was only Kenshin and Saitou, this one is going to be all Soujiro and Kaoru ^_^ (sigh .. Sou chan) Also, I know the information about Kaoru's father is still not clear yet, but it will be revealed in time, don't worry =) =) 

Also, let me repeat: This is a K/K fic. (Gomen nasai Soujiro/Kaoru fans .. I know that Soujiro and Kaoru make a cute couple, demo I might make a fic with that couple later on).

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 12**

Kenshin walked up the familiar steps of the dojo and jumped up onto the roof. He sat down and looked up at the bright stars. Tears were beginning to sting his eyes.

Kami-sama, I know I'm not worthy to ask anything of you right now, but Kaoru does not deserve any more sadness in her life. Please take care of her wherever she is right now. And .. and .. wherever she is, please give me the strength to find her.

With that last prayer, Kenshin broke down and cried, tears streaming down drop by drop, mixing with the blood on the cloth.

- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

A week had passed since Kaoru and Soujiro first started to reside in the little house near the hill. Kaoru's wound had gotten much better and she had almost full use of her shoulder again, much to her and Soujiro's delight. The past few days went by rather quickly. Kaoru and Soujiro enjoyed each other's company throughout the entire day by filling up the hours with talking and laughter. In the late afternoons, it was almost a ritual to go out and take a walk and later going back inside once the sun had set beneath the mountains of Tokyo.

"Oyasumi-nasai, Kaoru-san," whispered Soujiro before sliding close the shoji door.

"Oyasumi-nasai, Sou-chan," replied Kaoru endearingly as she began to close her eyes.

She heard the door slide shut and all was quiet around her .. except .. except for those voices in her head. She hated the silence because it meant that her thoughts would return to her. Those thoughts only brought pain to her heart. 

"Naze .. naze? Why do I feel like this?" she whispered to the cool air around her.

Kaorushifted in the futon uncomfortably. She had had a dream the week before and when she had woken up she had found her face wet with fresh tears. Why  .. why? was the only question that plagued her mind. 

_I know it has something to do with my past, if not why would it affect me so much so?_, she thought as she looked at the blackness around her. As she looked at the emptiness of the room, voices from her dream came flooding back into her mind.

A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu is the art of killing. Whatever pretty words you use to speak of it, this is its true nature. What Kaoru-dono says are the words of one who has never dirtied her hands. An idealistic joke.

But, I like Miss Kaoru's idealism better than its true nature. If one can ask so much, I want the world to accept this joke as its true nature.

Those words replayed in her mind time after time. She didn't understand why it affected her so much and warmed her heart whenever she thought of it. And of course there was always that ever-incessant name-calling "_Busu busu."_ Kaoru grimaced when she thought of that and closed her eyes.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The next morning, Kaoru and Soujiro had their usual breakfast. The rice was running low so Soujiro thought it would be best if he went to town to buy some more. Kaoru wanted to go also, but he insisted that she shouldn't. Those men that were after her could find and attack her there he reminded her. She nodded her head in reply and decided that she would clean the place.

As Soujiro was perusing through the marketplace he couldn't help, but overhear a conversation at one of the stalls.

"Did those people come into your house also?"

"Yeah, yeah .. they were looking for some girl."

"Yeah, same here."

"Did you notice the increase in the amount of police in the streets lately?"

"Yeah, I noticed. I wonder what's going on."

Soujiro started to feel uncomfortable and quickly left the busy area once he bought the rice. _I have to hurry back to Kaoru-san as quickly as possible. Tokyo is not a safe place for her anymore.. but where would I take her?_ He grit his teeth in thought as he ran back home.

- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - -

"KAORU-SAN!" Soujiro called out when he found the house empty. _Where did she go? Masaka! Don't tell me they've already found her!_, he thought in desperation as he searched the house. He started to run back outside when he saw her walking up to the house. He let out a big sigh of relief. _She's okay._

"Where were you, Kaoru-san? Didn't I tell you it's not safe to venture outside alone when there are people looking for you?" Soujiro reprimanded her lightly.

Kaoru smiled at him at seeing how much he cared for her. "It's alright. I just went out to get some fresh water." She pulled out the bucket of water from behind her.

"Aa." 

"You're such a worrywart, Sou-chan," Kaoru said playfully.

"Maa, maa," Soujiro replied with a slight blush on his cheeks.

They went back inside and Soujiro prepared lunch as Kaoru cleaned around the house. _This feels so nice. It feels like I have a home…I only wish this could last longer_, he sadly thought. After they ate lunch, Soujiro decided that he would have to tell her what he found out at the marketplace. 

"Kaoru-san, would you like to go on a walk now? We have a lot to discuss."

"Hai," Kaoru replied. She was a little confused by the seriousness in Soujiro's voice. _There must be something wrong, _she thought as she followed Soujiro along their usual trail outside.

They reached the log that they usually sat on and Soujiro sat down. He motioned with his hand for Kaoru to sit next to him.

Soujiro turned to face her and looked into her sapphire blue eyes. "Kaoru-san, staying here is not safe anymore. I think it is best to leave Tokyo."

Kaoru panicked inside as her blue eyes widened at the thought. "Leave .. Tokyo?" She looked down at her hands.

"Yes. Those men are rapidly increasing in their forces in their search for you. It would only be a matter of time before they find you," the boy replied solemnly. He didn't want to leave the place that he had thought of as home for the past week.

Kaoru was thoroughly depressed also. She looked back at the man next to her. _Will you stay with me?_, she thought. _Why would he? I would only be a burden . . . and from what he's told me before. He didn't know me before that incident_, she thought sadly. Her eyes started to fill with water at the thought. _I don't want to leave you Sou-chan._

Soujiro looked at the girl next to him and saw that she was about to cry. _She doesn't want to leave Tokyo_, he thought. _But there is no other choice._

The girl clenched her fists as she began to speak with a wavering voice, "Arigato Sou-chan. You've helped me so much. I don't know how to repay you." Her bangs were in front of her eyes so that he wouldn't be able to see the sadness in them.

Soujiro looked upon Kaoru sadly. He knew it would be hard to break the news to her, however he didn't know that she would take it that badly. _You're going to really miss Tokyo that much?_, he thought. _I guess that she would. Her friends are here even though she doesn't remember who they are. _He looked at the girl's face and noticed a lone tear slide down her cheek. _She's crying?_

Unconsciously, he took his hand and cupped her face as he wiped off the tear with his thumb. They gazed into each other's eyes. Kaoru couldn't take the feeling of sadness and loneliness anymore so she let it out and cried. Soujiro was stunned. He brought her closer to him and embraced her.

"Don't cry, Kaoru-san. Everything will turn out okay," Soujiro said to her comfortingly.

"Iie," Kaoru replied as he stroked her hair. _I don't want to leave you, Sou-chan_.

Soujiro embraced her even tighter when he heard her reply. He couldn't understand why she would think that negatively when he saw from the times that he was with her, she was always a positive person. _I don't like seeing you upset,_ he thought as he felt her shaking body next to him as she cried. 

"I .. I'm going to m- - miss you, Sou-chan," she said between her tears. 

Soujiro was shocked. _Miss me?_ _She cares for me that much that she would cry? _He felt his heart warm at the thought. _But why? I thought she knew that I was going to go with her. I wouldn't allow anything to happen to her along the way . . . till at least her memory gets back._ He let out a chuckle as he broke the embrace and looked back in her eyes.

Kaoru looked at him as she wiped her eyes. " It's n - - not funny," she said.

Soujiro looked at her with a gentle smile. "I never said that I was going to leave your side, Kaoru-san. I'm going to help you, until your memory returns," he said.

She looked up at him with a confused expression on her face as she let the words sink in. _He's not going to leave me?_ "You're not leaving me?" she asked after sniffling.

"No, I'm not," he replied in a serious tone.

She could feel her mouth twitch into a smile as she looked at Soujiro's eyes again. She could tell he was telling her the truth when she saw his cobalt blue eyes.  Her eyes started to water up again.

He looked at her confused. _I thought she would be happy that I was going with her? Why is she starting to cry again? Maybe she doesn't really want me to be with her?_ His mind was in an uproar.

Kaoru pulled him into another strong embrace and cried.

"K- - Kaoru-san, why are you crying again?" he asked.

"It's b- -because I'm so happy," she replied in between sobs.

"Eh1?!?" he replied. His eyes widened. He was completely confused now. Didn't tears mean sadness? He felt her laughing into his shoulder.

She looked back up at him and said in between laughters, "Baka . . these are tears of happiness," she said with a smile.

"Aa," he replied with a smile even though he was still a little confused._ I didn't know there was such a thing._

After her laughter, she became serious once again. "Demo .. what about your home here? And what about your family and friends?" she asked him.

He looked down at his hands. "I'm a rurouni. I don't have a home."

She was stunned. _Rurouni? _That word was so familiar to her. Why? When she heard those words, she felt a pull in the strings of her heart.  "Sou-chan," she started as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "if and when my memory comes back to me, I would like for you to stay with me. I .. I mean that is if you want to."

Soujiro slowly turned his head back to look at her. _Was she serious?_ "But you don't even know that much about me. . you don't even know about my past," he said in a hurry.

Kaoru smiled a loving smile at him. "I don't care about your past. I know who you are now. Your past is what made you you, it is not something that you still are now."

Soujiro widened his eyes. _She doesn't care about my past? She accepts me for who I am now? _He looked as she smiled brightly at him and felt the walls that he created around him over the past sixteen years break down a little. _I don't need to pretend when I'm around her, _he thought.

She placed her other hand on top of his hand and squeezed.

He knew at that moment that this girl was special to him.

-

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-

-

- To be continued

**Author's Notes**:

Please read and review! Thanks much! No cliffhanger this time either =( .. sigh .. 

This chapter is mainly used to develop the relationship between Kaoru and Soujiro .. well, to show how much their relationship has developed over the past week or so ^_^ Hehe .. So, not much has happened. 

**Thanks to my reviewers**:

Nicky, AnimeFreako, wolfpack, Uenki, somebody, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato, Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, chibi frog, Luna Angel, hoots, kaoru-no-tanuki, Ana, CurlsofSerenity, pushpitake,  Inugirl, tigerrelly, Califpinay3001, animelub, ranma sao, saotome, kiki, kim, john, Poohbear, Jouchano8, anime lover, Clemen, Miya-chan, Kyoznekozukigirl, nihongo55, Aino Saori, wudnt u like 2 kno, kuru kuru 17,  Sarahi, thunder sister, Ayuka Moonwind, Inuyasha chic515, Ryuugirl, Volleygurly, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!

Kenshinfan – Thanks for your review! =) Aww.. I'm so glad that you like it. Hehe .. I'm very flattered by your comments. I hope the rest of it will be up to your expectations.

^_^ - I understand the feeling. .poor Kenshin . . ^_^

Hiei7 – I'm glad you're enjoying the fic.

Briar – The kendo thingy .. I'm planning to do that .. but I'm not sure where to insert it =/ .. hmm .. Thanks for the suggestion though =D


	15. Searching for Kaoru

**Disclaimer **: Soujiro is not mine. =/

**Warning : **Bad language and violence ahead.

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 13**

Kaoru smiled a loving smile at him. "I don't care about your past. I know who you are now. Your past is what made you you, it is not something that you still are now."

Soujiro widened his eyes. _She doesn't care about my past? She accepts me for who I am now? _He looked as she smiled brightly at him and felt the walls that he created around him during the last sixteen years break down a little. _I don't need to pretend when I'm around her, _he thought.

She placed her other hand on top of his hand and squeezed.

He knew at that moment that this girl was special to him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

It had been a little over a week since Kaoru's disappearance. Yahiko was pacing back and forth on the dojo floor.

"Stop that!" Sanosuke berated the boy. "It's annoying the shit out of me."

Yahiko just glared at him with his fists clenched. "Shut up!"

Everything was in turmoil since Kaoru had been gone. Kenshin had left to help the police to find any traces of the girl. Sanosuke and Yahiko had just come back from their search so that they could rest at the dojo. Also, a small part of them had hoped that Kaoru would be home even if it was very unlikely.

"Shiksho! How come the police can't find anything?!?!" Sano cursed while pounding a fist onto the table before them.

"Hey!" Yahiko warned. "You better not break this table or Kaoru's gonna get real mad when she gets back."

Sanosuke looked back at the young boy and his eyes softened. _You're right Yahiko. She's going to be fine. We'll find her! We've got to . . ._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Meanwhile Fujimoto Akane, in layman's terms, was sincerely pissed off.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND THE FUCKING GIRL?" Fujimoto yelled out at his three bodyguards.

All three shrunk back as the boss's voice beat down on their eardrums. They were too scared to look him in the face. (A/N: These are the three bodyguards that were able to escape with Fujimoto from their last hideout. I'm just going to refer to them as bodyguards in this section, even though they are the sub-leaders of this particular group.)

"Sir," one of them began, "we've sent out forty of our men to search the entire Tokyo area and they've found nothing so far."

The boss glared at him. "HOW CAN IT BE SO HARD TO FIND JUST ONE GIRL?!" 

All three men sweatdropped. "Well, Tokyo is a very large city . . ." another bodyguard replied thumbing his two fingers nervously. The other two looked at him sadly as the boss glanced annoyingly at the one who dared to speak such ridiculousness in his presence.

"Come here," the boss replied in an even tone with a suspicious smile on his face.

"H - -hai," the bodyguard replied shakily as he approached the boss with small steps.

Fujimoto smirked at his appearance and his eyes narrowed menacingly. _There's no use for idiots like these to work for me. I'll use him as a lesson for the others to follow, _he thought as he fingered the metal object in his hands. When the man approached in front of him, he bowed, then stood up straight to face his boss as he spoke.

"So . . . you think I don't know that Tokyo is a large city, do you?" Fujimoto asked with a sneer.

"No .. Yes .. No .. I mean .. I know you know that Tokyo is a large city, Fujimoto-sama. I'm sorry for my negligence in speaking out of terms. It will never - -"

SWISH 

The two looked shocked at the horrid display of blood around him. The red liquid was splattered everywhere, on the walls, clothes, and skin of the three people within the room. As the head rolled to the corner of the room, the two bodyguards put their hands around their mouth to avoid vomiting at the sight. The man holding the katana licked the blood on his lips.

"Make sure that you and your men find that girl within this month or your fate will be worse than his. Is that clear men?" he stated.

"H- - hai," the two responded in a small, timid voice.

"Do you have any ideas where this girl may be?" the boss asked both of them.

The two of them looked at each other nervously and started to sweat. They didn't want to die an early death like their comrade. All was silent as the boss awaited their reply. Even though it was only a couple of minutes before anyone spoke, it seemed like hours.

"So?" the boss questioned again while he wiped the blood of his sword. To make the statement clearer, the boss played at stabbing the air.  Both of the men's' eyes widened in fear at the sight.

"I think . . I think . . we should have men to go search for Higurashi Miroku. You said that he is in China somewhere. Maybe the girl went there to look for him," the guard inquired.

"Hmm .. " Fujimoto thought as he sat back in his chair and began drumming his fingers on the chair handles to the side of him. The noise that it brought along only served to put both of the guards' nerves more on edge. "You have a point there. I think it is time to pay my long lost friend another visit."

The two sighed in visible relief.

"Send men there and find the Higurashi's exact location. And when you do, I'll be on the first ship there. Also, make sure to keep an eye out for that girl just in case she did try to go look for her father. . .That will be it. Please go tell this to the others. . .oh _and _tell them exactly what you saw here today."

"Hai." The two turned and quickly left the room.

Fujimoto Akane sat back more comfortably in his chair as he looked at the corner of the room. He had a wolfish smile as he looked at the decapitated body folded in the middle of the room. _At least that idiot had some use_, he thought as he cracked his knuckles, _I needed to let my pent up energy out somewhere. Lucky he was here_. He smirked and then frowned as he looked at the mess around him. _Damn! Now I have to call someone to clean this shit up. _

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Soujiro and Kaoru looked out at the sunset together again that evening. They both had peaceful looks on their visages as the last of the sunlight bounced off of each other around their settings.  The cool night air blew on the two bodies and Kaoru shivered in reaction. Soujiro saw this and wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm. The girl smiled up at him.

"Shall we go back, Kaoru-san? I don't want you to catch a cold," Soujiro said as he faced her with a compassionate smile.

"Hai, Sou-chan. Let's go back," Kaoru replied in a light voice as they both stood up. However, his arms never broke from their position on her shoulders as they started to walk back. Kaoru laid her head to rest on his chest as they trekked back home. They accompanied one another in a comfortable few minutes of silence before Kaoru spoke.

"Sou-chan, where shall we go if we leave Tokyo?" Kaoru asked as she looked back up at him.

Soujiro felt troubled at the thought. He wasn't sure where they should go, not sure if they even should stay in Japan. Then he remembered what the boss had said when she was captured and brightened at the thought. "The man who captured you said that your father was still alive. Higurashi, I believe," Soujiro said in a calm voice.

"Aa," Kaoru replied. _Why can't I remember my father? And where would we start looking for him? _"Ano.. Sou-chan .. where would we look for my father? I don't know where he is . .and . ." She paused and looked down on the ground. With a whisper she said, "and . . I don't know who he is . ."

The man's eyes darkened. _That's true . ._, he thought for a second and then said to her in a comforting voice, "Don't worry, Kaoru-san. I'll find out for you."

Kaoru stopped in her steps and stood in front of him. She pointed out her index finger and poked him square in the chest. "And how may I ask are you going to accomplish that?" 

"Aa . . don't worry about it, Kaoru-san," the boy said with his usual smile. (A/N: When I saw usual smile, it refers to the smile that he uses in the anime series. The mask)

"What do you MEAN, don't worry?" Kaoru asked with her brows furrowed. 

"Eh . .  .I'll find out from the men that took you," Soujiro replied.

"No, absolutely not. I don't want you to get hurt on my account. Onegai Sou-chan, don't," the girl replied pleadingly.

The man's heart warmed again as he looked into her sapphire blue eyes. He put a hand onto her shoulders and squeezed. "Either way, we've got to find him. He'll help you recover your memory."

Kaoru looked at him and her eyes softened. _Sou-chan cares for me so much, but I don't want him getting hurt. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to him because of me. I'd risk my memory if that means that he'll be safe._ "Iie . . I can't have you getting hurt. No matter what," Kaoru said.

"Kaoru-san . . I told you not to worry. If anything were to happen, I'll just run away from the scene. You saw how fast I am, ne?" he said with a small smile. _I'll keep you safe no matter what. I won't have those men finding you and I'll do whatever I can to protect you._

The woman looked at him and saw the resolve in his eyes and she began to feel her eyes moisten once again. She looked down at her feet and her bangs fell in front of her face. _I've got to be strong, I can't let him see me cry again. I have to believe in him. I saw how he took care of those guys back there. And this time .. this time .. he'll be fine also, _she thought as she tried to convince herself. 

"I understand," she started as she looked back into his eyes, "but I want you to know that . . that you're the only one I have right now .. and . .and if anything were to happen to you . .I wouldn't know what to do. Onegai . .I know I can't say anything to dissuade you from going, but take care of yourself. I don't want you to get hurt."

Soujiro was a little stunned at her words.  He didn't even register when she pulled him into another tight embrace. _She cares this much about me? Never . . never in my life . . or in my dreams has anyone cared so much of me. ._He took a breath and caught the faint smell of jasmine. _So peaceful, _he thought. In both of their hearts that night, they subconsciously wished that they would be together like this for a long time. 

As the night air got cooler, Kaoru shivered once again.

Soujiro noticed and said, "We better get back."

They walked for another ten minutes and found themselves "home" again. As they entered into the house, they sat down in one of the rooms while Soujiro prepared some tea to warm up both him and the girl.

He brought in the tea and looked at her. She looked like an angel. Her cheeks were tinted red in response to the cold and her blue eyes were shining as she looked upon him. He sat down and they both took a sip of the tea. Kaoru put her tea down and looked back up at him with a small smile.

"Sou-chan, can you tell my why you became a rurouni?"

Soujiro paled.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Kenshin was getting more and more anxious as the days drew on. They hadn't found any clues about Kaoru's whereabouts since she had been taken from the hideout.

Damn it! Why can't I find her? Maybe I can find some other people to help, de gozaru yo. 

He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of this earlier. Kenshin ran to the building, wrote a quick note, and attached it to the pigeon.

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks much.

Hehe .. I finally added cliffhangers in this one. Sigh I was losing my touch .. lol .. the two chapters before this didn't have any cliffhangers =/ .. 

Well, this one had a little bit of everything. Oh yeah, and about Kenshin's thoughts and cursing.. hehe .. He's acting half-battousai/half rurouni –ish .. ^_^

Also many of you voiced your worries about there being too much Soujiro and Kaoru waff .. so much so that they'll end up falling in love with one another. Well, I'm not going to delve into any explanation for this right now. You'll just have to wait until later chapters to find out what happens ^_^

I was also thinking of doing an Inuyasha/Kenshin crossover where Inuyasha and his gang have to travel into the future during the Meiji era to find Kaoru .. who happens to be a miko. Even though she does not yet know =) What do you guys think? 

**Thanks to my reviewers**:

Nicky, ^_^, AnimeFreako, wolfpack, Uenki, somebody, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato, Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, chibi frog, Luna Angel, hoots, kaoru-no-tanuki, Ana, CurlsofSerenity, pushpitake,  Inugirl, tigerrelly, Califpinay3001, animelub, ranma sao, saotome, kiki, kim, john, Poohbear, Jouchano8, anime lover, Clemen, Miya-chan, Kyoznekozukigirl, nihongo55, Aino Saori, wudnt u like 2 kno, kuru kuru 17,  Sarahi, Hiei 7, lostanimeangel, thunder sister, Ayuka Moonwind, Inuyasha chic515, Ryuugirl, Volleygurly, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!

Briar – Hehe .. I'm glad I was able to change your mind about the K/K thing and you actually support S/K now .. ^_^ But this fic will still be K/K .. sigh . And yes there will be other characters coming up. Hehe . as you see in the conclusion for this chapter. 

Ryuu Girl – Aww. . everything will work out fine in the end. =) maybe a little angst. .? but Soujiro won't have a sad ending.

CurlsofSerenity – Hmm .. Kenshin seeing Kaoru and Soujiro together? Umm . .that'll come up in later chapters. You can expect him to be jealous of course =)

Kenshinfan  and hanashin– I'm glad that you liked how I portrayed Soujiro =) I'll try my best to do a Soujiro/kaoru fic after this one ^_^


	16. Soujiro's Past

**Disclaimer: **

Sano: Watsuki owns all characters in Rurouni Kenshin.

Saitou asks with venom laced in his voice: Just who is this Watsuki?

Sano: Just someone who created us. You better not mess with him.

Watsuki: Yes, I created you and I own you.

Saitou glares at him and gets into Gatotsu stance: I am not owned by anyone. Aku-Soku-Zan. 

Watsuki smirks and draws something on paper. Next second, Saitou is seen wearing a pink ballerina dress twirling around the room with a rose in his mouth (instead of his usual cigarette.)

Sano looks at Saitou: I told you not to mess with him.

Saitou glares at Sano: Shut up, tori-atama.

Kenshin walks into the room and his mouth drops open at the sight before him.

Saitou: Not a word, Battousai.

Kenshin: Oro?

**Author's Notes: **This is another all Soujiro/Kaoru chapter =D 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 14**

Kenshin was getting more and more anxious as the days drew on. They hadn't found any clues about Kaoru's whereabouts since she had been taken from the hideout.

Damn it! Why can't I find her? Maybe I can find some other people to help, de gozaru yo. 

He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of this earlier. Kenshin ran to the building, wrote a quick note, and attached it to the pigeon.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Soujiro paled at the thought of telling Kaoru his past. _She's going to hate me_, he thought as his stomach rumbled uncomfortably. 

Kaoru instantly regretted asking him that question and mentally slapped herself for it. _He isn't comfortable with telling me his past, why did I ask him? It probably brings back so many troubled memories. Mou! Kaoru no baka!_, she thought as she reprimanded herself. She looked back at Soujiro who was still silent and said apologetically, "Sou-chan, gomen nasai. That was wrong of me to ask you to tell me something that brings back bad memories for you."

Soujiro looked back at the girl. _She deserves to know. It would be wrong to deceive her like this_, he thought with conviction as he said, "Kaoru-san, you did nothing wrong." He paused as in thought and looked down at his hands imagining the blood on them. His eyes darkened as he continued to speak. 

"However . .however, I'm afraid Kaoru-san . .that  . . ." he paused again not knowing how to continue how he felt. The boy himself had kept his feelings to himself for so long that, in matter of speaking, he had forgotten how to express his feelings to other people. The thoughts that formed in his mind just couldn't come out of his mouth.

Kaoru looked at the man with compassion and saw how much he was struggling with what he was going to say to her. She took her hand and enveloped his and squeezed gently. Soujiro looked up at her and saw, much to his surprise, a gentle smile decorating her face.

He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He compiled all the thoughts that he had in his head and organized in such a way that he would be able to express them to her. Soujiro still felt the warmth of her hand against his and it gave him courage to speak. He took another breath and opened his eyes and saw the familiar pair of blue eyes looking back at him.

"Kaoru-san," he started, "what I tell you about myself now will make you loath me. And I want to apologize to you ahead of time for this. I only wish that we could have met under different circumstances. However, I'm still glad that . .that . . I got to meet you." He looked up at her.

Kaoru was confused by his words, but nevertheless she never removed her hands from his. _I don't care who he was in the past, can't he see that?_

Soujiro took another deep breath as he began to delve into the story of his past. Kaoru sat next to him, holding his hand throughout his entire tale. 

"For the majority of my life, I've lived under the motto: the strong live and the weak die."

 "I was an illegitimate child and was taken in by my father's family. After my father passed away, my aunts and uncles treated me as nothing more than a servant, sometimes even worse than one. Whenever I'd make a mistake or if something went wrong with their business, they would vent their anger out on me. After the first couple of times, I started to ignore the pain and began to smile.

I learned that by smiling, they would not hurt me as much." Soujiro tensed up as a barrage of memories flooded into his mind. _It's in the past, _he thought as he reassured himself.  Then he felt pressure on his hands. He looked down and saw that Kaoru still had her hands tightly wrapped around his own.

"One day, I met a man. He taught me that the strong live in this world and they feed off of the weak. He gave me my first sword. And that night . . that night . . my family .. they found out about him and questioned me. . .they . .they wouldn't stop hurting me once they knew that I had hid him. I didn't know what to do so I ran . .and ran. I wanted to find the man who I had helped, but he was nowhere to be found. I hid underneath the house and had the sword in my hand. 

It was then that my uncle found me . . . and crawled over to me. I was so scared . . It happened so fast. Everything became a blur. It was with that sword that . .that .. I killed my family." Kaoru sucked in her breath. Her heart ached for the young man that was sitting next to her. She felt the tears coming into her eyes.

Soujiro didn't dare look up at her, he was afraid of what he would see in those innocent blue eyes of hers.He didn't want to see the fear or disgust in those eyes that he had began to love and find comfort in. . so he continued on with his story.

"That man raised me and under him I became known as Tenken. I was one of the strong, not the weak and I proved it to him and myself by fulfilling each of the missions that he had laid out for me. Our group .. we were set out to make a new Japan . . a Japan that would be ruled by the strong.

However . . however, we encountered another man .. another ex-hitokiri like the man who had raised me. He was considered to be the strongest ever since the Bakumatsu. I fought with him.

He confused me. He believed in protecting the weak. How could two hitokiris who came out of the war end up so differently? It was during that fight, that my entire . . my entire belief system in life broke in pieces.  In the end, he defeated me without killing me, and he allowed me to go on and start a new life.

It was then that I decided that I would become a rurouni and wander throughout Japan. I wanted to be able to find my own answers.. . and that is how I'm here today."

Soujiro stopped. He was out of breath and both mentally and emotionally exhausted by recalling all of his life's earlier events. They were not pleasant for him. Even amidst the oppressive feelings, his heart felt a little lighter if that was possible. He felt better because he had told her the truth. It had been nagging at him the past couple of days because he felt guilty for not being around her. Now that she knew, he decided it would be best to say their good-byes. _There is no way that she would allow someone as stained as I am to be in her presence. But no matter what I'll make sure those people don't get to her, even if that means I have to protect her in the shadows. _He was afraid to look up at her. He knew that once he did, he would have to leave. Soujiro felt an incredible ache in his heart at the thought of leaving the young woman that he had grown to like so much within that short period of time they had spent together.

Kaoru looked at the man with much compassion and sadness. Her sapphire eyes were brimming with tears and her cheeks were already damp. One tear found its way down the curvature of her cheek and silently fell onto Soujiro's hand.

The wetness of his hand shook Soujiro from his thoughts and he instantly looked up at Kaoru. He was surprised to see, not fear, hate or disgust, but . . but compassion, sadness, and understanding in her eyes. _She would shed her tears for me?_, he thought in disbelief. 

In that moment after he looked up, Kaoru embraced him. 

"I'm so . . so  .. sorry Sou-chan. I wish you didn't have to face so much pain in the past. I wish that I could've been there for you. ." Her tears came down even more as she spoke those words.

"You . . you don't hate me?", he asked stupidly. _She feels bad for me instead? I don't think I'm hearing this right._

"Sou-chan, I told you that I didn't care about your past . .and I meant it. To me you're not the assassin, but a dear friend who has been by my side these few days. You, who have shared in my laughter, anger, confusion, and sadness. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened to me," Kaoru said with much tenderness and sincerity in her voice.

Soujiro sat stunned. _Am I hearing this correctly? I told her about my past, yet she still accepts me for who I am? I'm still her friend? Am I dreaming?_ _Is she just naïve? _She broke the embrace and looked into his eyes that were still wide with disbelief at what she had just said.

She smiled tenderly at him and said, "Sou-chan, you're my friend." Soujiro looked at the girl with a new sense of awe and admiration. "I know I've said this before, but I realize that the past is what made you 'you'. . . and . . and  I'm grateful to have such a great friend like you. I only wish . . I wish that I could've helped you back then." She stopped and looked over at the young boy.

Both figures sat in comfortable silence at the moment as they replayed the scene in their heads and looked out the window. They didn't notice how dark it had gotten outside since Soujiro had started his story. Kaoru stood up and extended her hand to help him up. He gratefully took it with a smile.

"Sou-chan, it's getting a bit cold in here. Why don't you go gather some firewood while I cook dinner," Kaoru asked with a smile.

"Okay, Kaoru-san" the boy replied timidly. He was still a little shocked with the entire encounter that he just shared with the girl. Kaoru walked into the kitchen to begin to prepare dinner. As he started to walk out the door he stopped and paused. He turned around and with his hand he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ano .. Kaoru-san?"

"Yes, Sou-chan?" she said, pausing in the chopping of the vegetables as she turned to him.

"Can I call you Kao-chan?" 

Kaoru started to giggle as she saw his mood starting to lighten from earlier. "Of course, Sou-chan!"

His smile brightened and turned back around to open door. "Be back later, Kao-chan!"

"Okay," she replied. She turned back to her cooking. _Now, what should I make?, _she thought as she looked at what was before her. _Hmm .. I'll make one cup of rice .. so that means one cup of water? Eh .. and some miso soup I guess. _

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Soujiro returned home and the warmth of the house welcomed him in from the harsh coldness of the night air.

"Tadaima," Soujiro said aloud.

"Okaeri nasai. Dinner is ready," Kaoru replied cheerfully.

Soujiro set down his things as he made his way over to the kitchen to help. After they got the food, they both sat down next the to the table.

"Itadakimasu!" Kaoru said enthusiastically.

Soujiro started with the rice. He spooned some up with his chopsticks and took a large bite. He was extremely hungry. He looked over at the girl and smiled. _She's like a dream come true_, he thought as he bit into the rice. _This rice is very goo - - _, _eh? _

CRUNCH 

He paused in his chewing. Was he imagining things or was this rice  . . crunchy? He bit down once again. 

CRUNCH 

No, he wasn't imagining it. In order to risk breaking his teeth, he swallowed what was left in his mouth. He looked back up at the girl. She had been watching him the entire time to see what he would say about her cooking. He gave her a weak smile.

_Maybe the miso soup is better_, he thought as he picked up the bowl. He took a big sip because he wanted to wash down what was left of the rice. His eyes grew wide as his taste buds registered the taste of the soup. In order to avoid spitting everything back up, he held his breath and swallowed.

He looked back up at her. She was still smiling cheerfully, awaiting for what he would say about her food.

He smiled. 

"You do consider me a friend, ne Kao-chan?" Soujiro asked.

"Of course, Sou-chan," Kaoru replied brightly.

"So . . you're not trying to poison me right?" 

 "Eh?" Kaoru was dumbfounded. Soujiro was still smiling at her. (A/N: His eyes are closed .. like in the anime series when he gives that mask-like smile.) She looked down at the food and looked back up at him. His expression hadn't changed. Kaoru's eye began to twitch as she started to process what he was trying to say.

Soujiro, uncomfortable with the long silence, started to squint open his eyes little by little. Sitting across from him, was a very, very red and very, very upset Kaoru. He should have just kept his eyes closed.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review. 

Another chapter to build up the relationship between Kaoru and Soujiro =D Hehe . . I just thought that it would be good if Soujiro told her about his past so that way there would be absolute trust between the two of them. Also, I will repeat for the LAST TIME à **THIS IS A K/K FIC. . **

Hmm. . and as I've said before .. I know Soujiro and Kaoru have been becoming really close with one another. That's just what I want right now . . things will become clearer as the story progresses onwards ^_^

**Thanks to my reviewers:**

Nicky, ^_^, AnimeFreako, wolfpack, Uenki, somebody, Princess of Darkness, Tsugoi Kakarlena, kenshinfan, kato, Souryusen, chibi, Briar, shippo, beriath, chibi frog, Luna Angel, hoots, kaoru-no-tanuki, Ana, CurlsofSerenity, pushpitake,  Inugirl, tigerrelly, Califpinay3001, animelub, ranma sao, saotome, kiki, kim, john, Poohbear, Jouchano8, anime lover, Clemen, Miya-chan, Narutaka Masami, Kyoznekozukigirl, nihongo55, Aino Saori, wudnt u like 2 kno, kuru kuru 17,  Stripe, Syaoran's blossom,  Sarahi, Hiei 7, lostanimeangel, thunder sister, Baby Kaorusama, Ayuka, Moonwind, Inuyasha chic515, CTCandInu65, Ryuugirl, Volleygurly, and Sanosuke Sagara for your support!

Thanks for all the comments =D They're all too flattering *blushes .. hehe ^_^


	17. Higurashi Miroku

**Disclaimer : **Kenshin does not belong to me . . . sadly.

**Author's Notes: **I won't be able to update as often after this chapter because school is starting soon. I'll make sure to complete this story though. ^_^ As of right now, it seems as if the story will run over 20 chapters. 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 15**

"You consider me a friend, ne Kao-chan?" Soujiro asked.

"Of course, Sou-chan," Kaoru replied brightly.

"So . . you're not trying to poison me right?" he said lightly as he looked down at the food and then back up at her.

 "Eh?" Kaoru was dumbfounded. Soujiro was still smiling at her. She looked down at the food and looked back up at him. His expression hadn't changed. Kaoru's eye began to twitch as she started to register what he was trying to say.

Soujiro, uncomfortable with the long silence, started to squint open his eyes little by little. Sitting across from him, was a very, very red and very, very upset Kaoru. _I should have just kept my eyes closed,_ he thought with a sense of foreboding.

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The next morning Soujiro woke up earlier than usual. He rubbed the bumps on his head that he had received from Kaoru's lashing, wincing from the dull pain. _I shouldn't insult Kao-chan's cooking abilities anymore. . anyway, the amnesia may have caused her to forget how to cook. As he got up, he decided that he would need to go find out information on the whereabouts of this Higurashi character. Before leaving the little house, he walked silently over to Kaoru's room to make sure she was okay. He slid open the door a little and peeked in. She was still fast asleep, curled up in a fetal position. Her mouth was half open and some drool could be seen hanging in the corner. He silently chuckled to himself as he slid the door closed._

He went to the kitchen and prepared a quick breakfast for Kaoru before leaving. When he finished, he set the food on the table so that she would be sure to see it when she woke up. Then Soujiro cleaned himself up a little before leaving, stopping by the door to pick up his trusty katana.

He gave one last glance over his shoulder at the hallway where Kaoru resided and sighed. _I hope that she will be okay while I'm gone_, he thought as he remembered how he felt when he couldn't find her after buying some rice from the store. _No . . nothing is going to happen. I'll find out where her father is and return promptly.  .and even if I don't find any information, I'll make sure to return before nightfall_. With that last determined thought, he went on his way back into the busy streets of Tokyo.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko sat around the kitchen. All three of them had black shadows around their eyes due to lack of sleep. Kenshin prepared breakfast and was encouraging his two companions to eat.

"Do you think that Kaoru is alright right now? Do you think she's eating properly?" asked Yahiko in a worried tone. "Cuz kami-sama knows she'd end up poisoning herself if she was doing the cooking."

Sanosuke and Kenshin fidgeted worriedly at the young samurai's questions. _I wonder where she is right now?_, they both thought at the same time. 

Kenshin looked at the boy and said in an assured voice, "Yahiko, you of all people understand that Kaoru-dono is a strong woman. We should believe in her and her abilities. I think that wherever she is right now, she would be taking care of herself." He paused. "And that is what you should be doing, too. You'll need all the energy you can get to search for her."

Yahiko nodded and started to eat the food more fervently than in the past few days. Sanosuke looked at the young samurai next to him and his eyes softened.  He stared down at his own plate and ate more than usual. Kenshin silently smiled at the scene as he looked at the miso soup in front of him. His hunger had left him the past week ever since Kaoru had gone missing, but he knew that in order to keep up his strength he would need to eat. And that is just what he did.

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Soujiro once again arrived in the bustling marketplace. Even though it was in the early afternoon hours, people were already pushing and shoving in the streets. He gave a sigh as he wondered where he would find information about the man. 

He took a few steps forward and remembered. _The hideout! Maybe I can find someone there. . . it's not much to go on, at least it's a start._ Soujiro retraced his steps to the run-down restaurant, "Todai's" and paused, seeing if he could sense any hostile ki around him.

The man felt none and decided it was safe to search the entire the abandoned compounds. He searched every room and to his dismay, found nothing. He walked out dejectedly from the building and looked through in his tracks. As he continued back, Soujiro heard some silent shuffling noises in the corner next to the wall. He quietly turned around and peeked by the side of the wooden wall.

_It's him!_, he thought with surprise. It was one of the bodyguards that had escaped with the boss. He couldn't help but think how it was pure luck to find him and in such short a time period also. His eyes narrowed as he saw the man walking away from the area.

He followed him, making sure to stay hidden in the shadows. He felt the man's ki tense up. Before the man could look behind him, Soujiro jumped and hid behind an empty stall. The bodyguard gave a sigh of relief when he found that no one was following him and continued on his way. Soujiro took a glance back towards the man and saw that he had started walking again. Soujiro, ever so lightly jumped down from the stall and started following the man again. 

They walked for what seemed to take the entire afternoon before they reached the pier. _I wonder what he is up to_, Soujiro thought as he saw the ships before him. He saw the man he had been following for the past hour stop and walk into a bar.

He went in afterwards and spotted him walking up the stairs. Soujiro grunted seeing that he wouldn't be able to follow him up because of the huge men blocking the stairs. _It'd be too suspicious if I ended up causing a commotion_. 

Soujiro decided it would be best to sit and wait for the man to come back down and confront him from there. He found a seat close to the entrance and sat down gracefully, making sure to put his katana in the corner next to him, out of sight.

"Hey there sexy. Would you like some company?" a sultry voice from beside him asked.

Soujiro, surprised by the voice, put his hand on the hilt of his sword and turned to face her. He was so intent on watching the stairs that he had become a bit careless. He grimaced at the overwhelming smell of perfume from the lady. He turned from her heavily made-up face and politely said, "No thank you."

The girl pouted and traced a finger around the boy's shoulder. He shivered at her touch. "I'm sure a man such as yourself could use some company." Then in a low, husky voice added, "It'll be worth your while."

Soujiro took her hand and looked straight up at her, his eyes narrowing. "I've told you before miss, I do not want your company," he said with much vindiction.

The girl flinched at his words and decided it would be best to leave the boy alone. "Hmph . ." she said with a grunt as she turned from his table and went to the next one. Soujiro let out a sigh. He really disliked women who pushed themselves like that onto men. While waiting for the man to come back downstairs, he ordered some sake. (A/N : So that he wouldn't look so suspicious since he's in a bar.)

After what seemed like hours and many more women throwing themselves at the young man, the bodyguard reappeared at the top of the stairs. Soujiro's eyes closely followed the man's movements down the flight of stairs. The man nodded his head in recognition at a couple of people that he passed and walked back out to the pier.

The boy followed him until they came upon an empty street. He quickly came up from behind him and put him in a chokehold with one arm and a hand over the man's mouth. With unconventional strength, Soujiro dragged the man's flailing body into one of the darker alleyways. Still standing behind him, the boy said in deadly whisper, "Scream and you're dead."  He released his hand over the bodyguard's mouth and took out his katana and put it towards his neck to further prove his point.

The bodyguard was now starting to sweat profusely. The only word that replayed in his mind was, _Shit!_  _Shit! Shit!_ He wanted to turn around so that he could see whom exactly the attacker was, but fearing for his life didn't do so.

"Now tell me who do you work for?" Soujiro started.

Beads of sweat were now falling constantly from his forehead as the interrogation began. He didn't want to die, he didn't care if he told the man what he knew. So he began to speak in a quivering voice, "F- -Fujimoto Akane."

Soujiro inwardly smirked at this particular man's cowardliness. Keeping his smiling visage, he asked again, "What does your boss want with Higurashi?"

The man was a bit surprised to hear the man's name so suddenly. _How'd he know his name?_ Soujiro gave the man a rough shake for he was taking too long to speak. The man snapped out of his senses. "eh .. Higurashi Miroku betrayed him sometime during the Bakumatsu by supporting the uprooting of the Tokugawa government and he wants to get him back."

_Good, now I have his full name_. "Now, where is Higurashi's location?"

The man paused in shock. _He had only just gotten the information from the man in the bar. Damn it if I am was going to tell this guy everything right now_. _The boss doesn't even know the information, yet. Fujimoto's plans would be spoiled if I were to tell anyone else right now._ "Eh . .I - - I don't know," the man said unconvincingly. __

Soujiro frowned at his statement. _This guy has to know something more. He's lying. _He pushed the katana closer the man's throat. Her heard the man give a shortened gasp of fright as he felt the cool iron touch his warm flesh. "Do I need to remind you?" 

The man gave a gulp as his throat tightened in fear "Eto . . I heard that  . . he . . he's in Shanghai, China."

"This is the truth?" Soujiro stated.

"H- - Hai."

Soujiro lessened the grip on the katana and with a thrust of his palm knocked the man unconscious. He then proceeded to re-sheathe his sword.

"Arigato," he whispered as he stepped over the man's limp body. 

The boy left the site and swiftly walked in the direction back to the house. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of yellow eyes appeared from behind the shadows, witnessing the man clad in blue leave the scene.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks very much!

**Princess of Darkness and Me_ – _**Thanks for reviewing all the chapters so far ^_^. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

**Tiaravball15** – there will be more Kenshin in the later chapters =D .. some of it in the next chapter =D

**Ame Kurayami** – I've read your reviews before. Thnx =) I really appreciate the comments. I'm glad you like the S/K interaction =D 

**Poppy2** – Hehe ^_^ author plots evilly as she thinks of what will go on when K/K/Soujiro will meet Nothing toooooo dramatic .. I know what I'll do with Soujiro for this story . .but he won't pair up with Misao as she already has her Aoshi-sama.

**Kitty12perfecto** – I'm glad you like the fic. I actually have the next chapter typed up. I'll post it sometime soon. But after that I won't be able to as much because of school.

**Califpinay3001** – thanks for reviewing many of the chapters so far =) I hope u continue to enjoy it.

**Ryoga** – Thanks for the insightful comments. I'll make sure to do that next time.

**Doris** – Thanks for the comments ^_^ I'm glad you like it so far. I think there should be more S/K fics out there.

**Jen** – Yeah. I've read "Patchwork Family." It's very very good =) .. Yes, I guess in that way it is similar to that story =)

**Thunder sister** – Ano . . I didn't explain what violent means Kaoru had used on Soujiro .. but you can imagine I guess .. hehe

**Clemen** – I'm glad u like the interactions and feelings amongst the three characters ^_^ There will probably be a little angst .. or maybe a lot .. guess you'll just have to find out.

**Inugirl and Saotome** – thnx for all the reviews.

**Gozaru_no_da ** - Thanks for the review.  A Kenshin and Chichiri fan? Hehe . .

**Ana** – hehe . .yeah it is a bad idea to upset Kaoru especially about her cooking .. ^_~


	18. To China

**Disclaimer: **

Shishio: "Join me and we shall conquer the entire RK series! We'll overthrow Nobuhiro Watsuki!"

Hoji: "Shishio-sama is the BEST!" His eyes gleam with pure rapture at Shishio's statement.

Yumi stands next to Shishio possessively and smiles at him.

Soujiro with a smile: "Hai, Shishio-sama."

"Sou--jiii--rooou. . ." a threatening female voice breaks into the crowd from the corner of the room.

Soujiro hears the threatening tone and sweatdrops and starts to look over to where the familiar voice came from in a very careful manner. "Eto . . Kao-chan?" (He knew she was upset because she called him Soujiro instead of Sou-chan.)

Kaoru glares at him with her hands on her hips. 

Soujiro is intimidated and smiles weakly at her. He begins to fumble with his fingers and looks down on the ground. He notices Shishio's menacing stare. He looks back and forth between Shishio and Kaoru . . and takes a step towards Kaoru.

Shishio: "Tenken . . . how dare you betray me?"

Hoji interjects: "Shishio-sama is UNBEATABLE!!!" Throws his fist into the air gesturing emphatically.

Soujiro: "Gomen, Shishio-sama. . .  But . .  you're not as pretty as Kao-chan!" He smiles sheepishly with his hand scratching the back of his head. He gives a slight bow to his former leader and approaches Kaoru with a bright smile. He puts an arm around her shoulder and they walk off.

Shishio glares at the boy once more and then looks at the rest of the Juppongatana: "Disgusting. . Ikuso." 

Hoji: "Yes! Shishio-sama!!! We'll defeat Nobuhiro Watsuki!!!" His fist pumps into the air once more.

Shishio: "Shut up."

Hoji: "ANYTHING for the great Shishio-sama!"

**Author's Notes: **Gomen for not updating for so long. School has already started and homework is beginning to pile up. Ack!

**Special Thanks to Starlyn, gracianeko, cleoclaudia, and Lullaby-Sarahi** for adding me to your favorite authors' list! You don't know how flattering that is for me ^_^ ..

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 16**

Soujiro lessened the grip on the katana and with a thrust of his palm knocked the man unconscious. He then proceeded to re-sheathe his sword.

"Arigato," he whispered as he stepped over the man's limp body. 

The boy left the site and swiftly walked in the direction back to the house. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of yellow eyes appeared from behind the shadows, witnessing the man clad in blue leave the scene.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Soujiro approached home with a lightness in his footsteps. _I've gotten the information I needed! Now we can go find Kao-chan's father. _He opened the door and announced his presence, "Tadaima Kao-chan!"

"Okaeri nasai, Sou-chan!" Kaoru said with a bright smile as she walked out to greet him.

"Kao-chan, I've found out where your father is at!"

"Honto ni?"

"Hai. Demo we need to leave by tomorrow."

"H- - hai." Kaoru looks down sadly. _Already? _She takes a look around the house and looks back at Soujiro. Her frown began to become a smile as she saw his smiling face. _There's no reason to be sad, Sou-chan is going to be by my side. . . and that's all I need. _

Soujiro looked back at her and noticed her change in emotions. _I'm glad that she's still smiling, I'd hate to see her sad. _His stomach let out a low growl and his face started to heat up from embarrassment.

Kaoru laughed. "You must be hungry, ne Sou-chan?" 

Soujiro replied with a nod of the head.

"I'll go prepare dinner then!" she said with a swift turn on her heel.

It was good thing that Kaoru had turned around or she would have noticed how pale Soujiro's face had become. She was about to make her way to the kitchen when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned around with a confused look on her visage. "Nani?"

"Ano . . why don't you rest, Kao-chan? We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow and I want you to be as much rested as possible." _At least that's half the truth, _Soujiro thought.

Kaoru's confused look became softened as his words registered in her mind. _Sou-chan is so sweet! He just wants me to rest. . but he just came back . . he must be tired also. _"Don't worry Sou-chan. It's just dinner."

_That's what I'm afraid of_, Soujiro thought as he grimaced mentally at the memory of last night's so-called dinner. That night after a couple of bites of rice and miso, his stomach couldn't handle it anymore. Ugh .. and now his stomach was still recovering. He noticed the long silence and searched for Kaoru. He groggily went into the kitchen and to his utter dread found Kaoru cutting up the vegetables. _How am I going to get myself out of this?_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Saitou walked out from the shadows of the night sky.  He stood beneath the haze of the smoke from his cigarette as he gazed at the sight before him. With long, quick strides he tried to follow the figure leaving the scene. But since the fog was so dense, he had lost him by the time they turned the corner. The police officer let out a grunt of dissatisfaction as he turned back towards the man on the ground. He kicked the lump of body before him and he saw it twitch. _Che! It's still alive_. 

He grabbed at the man's collar none too gently and dragged him down the street towards the police station. _Where are those ahous when I need them? _(A/N : He is referring to the other police officer underlings.)

One of the men from Fujimoto's clan saw the man coming out of the alleyway and attacked with a katana clenched tightly within his palms. _Shiksho! I have to get him back, he has the information about Higurashi's whereabouts!_

Saitou felt the intense ki behind him and turned around just in time to avoid the blade. He threw the body off to the side as he unsheathed his own sword.

"Who are you?" Saitou snarled through his teeth as he threw the cigarette down.

"None of your business, old man. If you want to live, I suggest you pass the body over to me," the other replied defiantly. He got in position to attack him again.

Saitou gave a smirk. _Fujimoto's old stance, that bastard. _(A/N : Remember in the beginning in Chapter 3 or so, when Kaoru was attacked by one of the dart throwers, Fuji, had the same stance. The stance is similar to that of the Gatotsu.) Saitou responded by crouching down and getting into his own reliable Gatotsu stance.

"Ikuso!" the other said as he charged ready to stab at Saitou's chest. 

"Incompetent fool," Saitou mumbled under his breath as he saw the man coming toward him. As the blade was thrusted towards his chest, the police officer side-stepped and stabbed the poor man in the side. _Too slow_, he thought. Saitou twisted the sword as he took it out, causing a bigger gash in the skin, then flicked the blood off of his katana. A smooth metallic sound was made as the wolf sheathed his sword.

He made his way towards the body that he had thrown down during the battle and again started his trek back to the police station, leaving another body swimming in a pool of blood. (A/N: It's really bloody because Saitou had punctured the man's spleen also.) 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

A few hours later in the confines of the Tokyo jail

Everything was in a haze as the man woke up. _Where the fuck am I?_, he thought disgruntled, adjusting to the bright light around him. Actually, there was only one light and it was shining right down on him. His mind was groggy and he tried to stand up, but found that his wrists and ankles were bound tightly to the chair that he was sitting upon. _What the fuck is going on here?_ He blinked his eyes once more and found him staring at four other bodies. 

As the four approached him, he felt a fierce chill in the air and shrunk back further in his seat. 

The tall one with the cigarette calmly walked closer to him. "Do you know where you are?"

"N- -n- no," he stammered totally confused and scared about what was going on around him.

"You're in jail," the same man replied.

"H-how the hell did I end up here? What the fuck happened to me?" the man started to yell out. He struggled to get out of his seat once more, but couldn't. 

"We're the one asking questions here. We know that you work for Fujimoto Akane and we know who you're after. Now tell us what's the last thing you remember," Saitou said with a snarl.

"I'm not fucking telling you assholes anything!! You hear me?!" His mind had finally cleared up and he finally understood what was going on. 

"Just let me at him! I swear!" another voice growled emphatically. The bodyguard noticed that another taller man stood out among the group clad in a white jacket and pants, a red bandanna on his forehead. A shorter boy stood next to him, a furious expression playing on his face also.

"Sano . ." another voice came. This time the sound came from a red-head with a cross scar on his left cheek.

He looked with widened eyes as recognition set in. _Shit!_ "Ba- battousai?" he murmured under his breath.  The red-haired man glared at him with two amber-tinted eyes. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"It's best to cooperate with us now, or may just regret it," Kenshin stated with his hand unconsciously over the hilt of his sword.

The man's throat felt completely dry and he took a gulp. _Shit! _"Eh . . eto . ."

"Stop your stammering," Saitou said with annoyance.

The man in question took another gulp. "Uhn . . well . . this morning I went to look for information about a man named Higurashi Miroku. And . . uh . .he's the man our boss wants."

"On with it," Kenshin said icily.

"Umm . . what is going to happen to me?" he asked shakily as his eyes wandered across the four looming figures around the room. 

"Tell us what you know and we'll go on from there," Saitou responded.

The man was in a fit of cold sweat and tried to keep steady the shaking in his legs as he continued with what he knew. "H-hai. I went . . went . .to the bar near the pier. I heard that the man there knew information about Higurashi. He - - he - - said his friends saw him last some fifteen years ago. He fled the country during the Bakumatsu after our boss found out that he had betrayed him."

"Where did he go?"

"Eh . . he went . .to"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - 

"China." Soujiro firmly stated.

"China!?!?! You're not serious are you, Sou-chan?" Kaoru asked incredulously. _Leave the country?_

"I'm serious, Kao-chan. Now I think you should change out of your kimono into something more suitable for the trip. You need to be comfortable," he replied. "We've got to leave now, the boat is set to leave in two hours."

"Hai," she responded as she quickly got up and left the room. Soujiro had woken her up that morning when before the crack of dawn. At the time, he had been wearing western-style clothing. She had laughed at the first sight, but stopped herself when she saw that he had a serious expression on his visage. He held out a similar pair of western clothes in front of her, telling her to change into them.

Soujiro watched as the girl made her way to the room that she had been using the past week. _I'll make sure you're safe, Kao-chan and I'll get you to Higurashi. _

A few minutes later, Kaoru burst out from her room with an excited yelp. 

"How do I look Sou-chan? Do I look manly enough?" Kaoru asked while twirling around, modeling the man's clothing for him.

Soujiro blushed a deep red. "Ano . . . Kao-chan . . . you . . . your . . ." Then he looked down at his own chest and quickly gestured to it in embarrassment.

The woman was confused at his gestures and later finally understood what the boy was referring to. Kaoru looked down and blushed a deeper red than her counterpart's while rushing back into the room again. _I can't believe I had forgotten to put on my bandages! _The girl noticed that the outfit she was wearing was actually a bit revealing. The front of the brown suit clung suggestively to her chest and the brown pant legs were a little tight around her hips. She thought back to Soujiro's expression and started to feel the heat on her cheeks once again.

A few moments later, Kaoru came out again, this time having bandaged herself. Soujiro nodded his head in approval as she walked out. To finish the ensemble, the boy placed a western-style brown hat on top of her head to hide her long, raven black hair. The both of them took one last look at the house that they had called "home" for the past week and sighed sadly. They took what little they had with them, as they walked out into the city.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - 

Kenshin and the other two had panicked when they had heard that Kaoru may be going to China, if she hadn't yet already gone. The three of them ran out of the police station and towards the Tokyo harbor in hopes that she had not left yet. And if she had, some crew members would have been able to recognize her and tell them where she went and if anyone had accompanied her along the trip.

When they finally reached the ports, the three of them split up asking around which ships were going to China. In the end, they found only one ship which was departing to that destination and it was not leaving port for another hour.

Kenshin was in despair as he asked the people around the port. None of them had seen any woman with her description. _Maybe she's still in Tokyo then. But why do I feel so uneasy about this? . . . Saito said some man had questioned and attacked Fujimoto's bodyguard to find out where Higurashi was located. That guy . . I can think of no other person other than the one that had saved Kaoru-dono earlier. Soujiro . . ._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Kaoru was very excited about finally being able to set foot into the busy streets of Tokyo once more. _I haven't seen any other person other than Soujiro since forever!_, she thought happily as they approached the marketplace. Her eyes lit up at the products that were being vended.

"Hey sir! Come look at my goods!" 

She hadn't realized that the vendors were referring to her. For a moment, she had forgotten that she had dressed up as a man to go outside. Kaoru continued to walk along and as she looked at the people around her, she started to feel uneasy. Many of the women were batting their eyelashes at him and smiling alluringly. 

A husky female voice called out, "Hi good-looking. I haven't seen you before. Would you like to accompany me for a drink or two?" Kaoru gasped and looked up to Soujiro in desperation.

Soujiro was smiling . . smiling widely at her.

_Grr! Can't he do something about this? _Kaoru just decided to ignore her. More catcalls were made as they continued their trip down to the docks. _Ugh!!, _thought Kaoru as she groaned miserably inside as she saw another woman looking at her suggestively.

Soujiro was laughing inside. He loved seeing that expression on Kaoru whenever the other women would look over at her interest. _However . .if she was dressed in woman's clothing and the men had been looking at her like that…… _The boy started to seethe with anger at the thought and unconsciously started to walk closer towards her.

- - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - -- - - - - - -  - - - - - 

30 Minutes to Departure

The crowds were starting to become unsettled as they began to wave their good-byes to their family and friends on the ship. Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko had continued pushing themselves through the sea of people as they searched for Kaoru's presence. To their disappointment, they had found nothing.

- - - - -  - - - - -  -  - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

10 Minutes to Departure

Kaoru and Soujiro were a bit out of breath as they had finally reached the harbor. The women had constantly stopped the two along the way asking them to accompany them for drinks. Kaoru's face had been a constant red the entire way. The boy chuckled at the memory.

Kaoru looked over at her companion as she heard him chuckle beneath his breath. She gave him a questioning look. Soujiro just shrugged. She gave a grunt of disappointment as they began to push themselves through the crowd.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kenshin and the other two had finally decided that they she was not there and began to make their way back against the push of the crowds.

As they reached the entrance of the harbor, Kenshin smelled a familiar scent and stopped.

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The two western dressed men had been pushing themselves through the humongous crowd of people. Kaoru looked around as she made her way towards the ship. Then she saw it.

A flash of flaming red.

She squinted her eyes as she got a better look.

Crimson red hair.

_There is something so . . so familiar about it. _She was about to walk towards that direction until she felt Soujiro grab her hand.

"Kao-chan, we have to hurry. We don't want to miss the ship!"

Kaoru nodded and the red hair was forgotten.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - 

It was jasmine. _It had to be her_, he thought desperately as his eyes scanned through the crowd once more. 

"Kenshin, what's the matter?" Yahiko asked seeing that the rurouni had stopped in his tracks.

Kenshin didn't reply as he made his way back towards the harbor. Sano and Yahiko followed along. _Maybe he saw Jou-chan_, Sano thought as his hopes began to rise. Following Kenshin's lead, Sano also began to search more frantically for the girl's figure.

After a few minutes of searching, they had come up with nothing. Kenshin let his eyes wander off in the direction of the ship one last time. He saw two masculine figures donned in western clothing boarding the ship. He gave a sigh of disappointment.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The ship finally left the dock. Soujiro left Kaoru's side as he went to find out where the both of them would be sleeping. The girl went towards the balcony of the ship and looked out once more into the crowd. She wanted to catch the man with the red hair one last time. _Why does it affect me so much?, _she thought as her eyes darted from person to person back at the docks.

A big gust of wind blew, knocking Kaoru's brown hat off of her head. Her arms stretched out in an attempt to grab it, but without luck. The hat was gone.

She let her eyes gaze back down at the deep blue ocean and she felt her heart ache ever so little. _I feel as if I'm leaving something important behind…but what is it?_ As she thought this, she felt a feeling of warmth on her hand. She looked up and saw that another hand was placed upon hers, she let her eyes travel from his hand, up the length of his arm, past the neck, and found herself gazing into a pair of startling bluish-gray eyes.

She smiled.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - -  - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - 

Kenshin sighed dejectedly one more time as he saw the crowd departing. _She's not here . ._ He turned once more towards the ocean and caught sight of a brown object drifting gracefully down onto the wooden docks. The rurouni made his way over to the object and picked it up.

A hat..

Another soft wind blew and Kenshin noticed _the _scent. He turned the hat around and examined it. The smell, it was fresh. _Jasmine_. His mind began to race as he remembered the image of the two figures dressed in western clothing boarding the ship.

_Kaoru_.

-

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-

- To be continued

**Author's Notes (Extended Version) hehe:**

I think this has been my longest chapter so far to date. Please read and review! Expect to see some new RK characters coming up in the next chapter! ^_^ like . . .

A few comments about the chapter:

Saitou knew the guy worked for Fujimoto because the other man that attacked him that night wanted the guy. The attacker used a style similar to Gatotsu that Saitou identifies as the sword style that Fujimoto Akane uses.

Soujiro borrowed the western style clothes from the people in the house that they were living in at the time. He thought that they would repay the owners back later.

_Reader Responses_**_:_**

**Princess of Darkness and Me** – I'm glad you like the Sou/Kao pairing so much =D Hehe . . Umm. .about the kiss .. we'll see. 

**Gracianeko** – I used Saito cuz it's too early for Kenshin right now. I want to build it up to that point.

**Kyoznekozukigirl** – Thanks for reviewing those chapters! Kenshin, Sou, Kaoru will meet in time. =D I have a few working ideas right now, but the details aren't done yet..

**Nicky** – Yay! Thanks for reviewing! I was wondering where you were .. hehe =) Well, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I hope you had a great vacation.

**Ame Kurayami** – Yup! You were right .. it was Saito. 

**Briar** – yeah . .that's a good idea ..Soujiro could teach Kaoru how to cook some different foods. . Hehe .. 

**Kitty12perfecto** – Thnx for the comments!

**Poppy2** – Hehe .. yep it was the wolf .. 

**Yuki-chan** – Aww. . thanks for all the support! =D I'm really glad you like this fic =) . .I know what you mean about the Sou/Kao pairing. They are so cute together…but maybe I'll do an S/K fic later.

**Tiaravball15** – Well, expect to see more Kenshin in the later chapters ^_^ Hehe  .. lol .. was the ending what you meant when you said that they don't miss something right when they meet or something or other. .lol .. I'm not making sense .. =x

**Angie** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing many of the chapters! The comments were really encouraging and helpful. I hope you continue to enjoy it as much.

**Boomerang-chan** – hi again .I'm glad to read your reviews once more. Thnx again =D

**Doris** – Hmm . .about the kissing scene .. I guess we'll see what happens .. hehe

**Kenshinfan** – Lol . .thnx for your comments! They were fun to read =) lol . .. anna is funny.. don't worry there will be more violence ahead…even though I have some bit of difficulty writing those action scenes since they don't come as easily as the others. But I think they are the most fun to read ..

**Sweetmyst** – Thanks for your comments! They're really sweet.

**Ymir-chan** – Sorry for taking so long. I hope you liked this chapter. 

**Shermaine** – Gomen this isn't a Sou/Kao fic even though they look absolutely adorable together also .. 


	19. The Beginning of the Search

**Disclaimer: **RK is not mine.

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 17**

Kenshin sighed dejectedly one more time as he saw the crowd departing. _She's not here . ._ He turned once more towards the ocean and caught sight of a brown object drifting gracefully down onto the wooden docks. The rurouni made his way over to the object and picked it up.

A hat..

Another soft wind blew and Kenshin noticed _the _scent. He turned the hat around and examined it. The smell, it was fresh. _Jasmine_. His mind began to race as he remembered the image of the two figures dressed in western clothing boarding the ship.

_Kaoru_.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -

Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko trudgingly trekked back to the Tokyo police headquarters, heads bowed down in defeat. The ex-hitokiri held a worn brown hat in his pale fists. He was lost in thought. _It had to have been her! It had to have been . . but then . . then . . that means . . _

Yahiko looked over to the figure that he had idolized for so long in pain. He remembered how both he and Sano had found him earlier that afternoon. Kenshin was standing by the docks looking towards the open sea in an almost catatonic state.

_Flashback at the docks_

_"Kenshin? Kenshin?" Yahiko had called out to him while waving one of his hands in front of his face. _

_No response._

_"Oi! Kenshin!" Sano called out to him while giving him a good shake._

_Blink. Blink._

_Sano continued his ministrations while the young boy looked over to the man's hand, which held a Western brown hat. Yahiko, curious about the object, stretched his arm and reached over to examine it closer. His fingers were within centimeters of grasping the object before Kenshin snatched it farther away from him. Yahiko was stunned as he looked up into the rurouni's face._

_"Kenshin?"_

_Kenshin did not look back down at the boy, instead he continued to let his gaze stay on the Tokyo waters. In a small voice he said shakily, "It was her. . . she's gone."_

_End Flashback_

Yahiko's eyes reverted back down to the dirt and pebbles below him as he walked on. _Does that mean . . that Kaoru's gone? _

When they had finally reached the police headquarters, the three went back into Saitou's office. No more introductions or questions were needed as the three had become regulars during the past two weeks. Sano stormed into the wolf's room and looked demandingly over at him.

"She's gone?" Saitou asked nonchalantly as he looked up at the three uninvited guests.

Kenshin's eyes flashed pure amber as he glared at Saitou through his red bangs.

The police officer smirked. "I'll take that as a yes." He paused and then continued, "You know that this means the matter is out of our hands. The police force does not have the time and energy to go out searching for some tanuki in another country."

"Fuck you! We don't need you to find Jou-chan!" Sano shouted in anger.

"Yeah!" Yahiko agreed. _We'll go to China and find her ourselves._

Kenshin had remained eerily silent.

"Do you ahous not know how large a country China is? How can you expect to find one girl?" Saitou asked with a flick of his cigarette.

"I've traveled through many places in China and I'll get people there to help," Sano replied. (A/N: Remember in the manga, after Jinchuu .. Sano was wanted by the police and left for China. So this is why he would know the area and why he would know some people over there.)

"Yeah!" Yahiko agreed once more. "And I'm sure Fujimoto's men are probably after this Higurashi guy also. It'll only be a matter of time before we find her."

Saitou's lip upturned slightly. _The boy has brains, I see_. 

"Tell us what you know," a cold voice commanded. The three figures turned to look over at Kenshin who had not spoken since they were in the harbor. 

"Battousai . ." Saitou sneered and then took another puff of his cigarette. "I was correct in assuming that you would follow Kamiya to China and I have found out for you exactly where she is located." The police officer gave a long pause before continuing. He enjoyed pestering the already upset rurouni. He continued, "I believe that you will find her in Shanghai."

Right after he finished his sentence, Kenshin and the others rushed out. Saitou grunted and gave another drag of his cigarette as he sat back down at his desk. _I'm becoming too soft these days. _He paused and looked around his office. _I do believe that it is time for Tokio and I to take a vacation_, he thought as he pulled out one of the drawers in his desk. It revealed two tickets to China. (A/N: Saitou wants to know what Fujimoto Akane is up to since Fujimoto used to be a part of the Shinsengumi also.)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko ran back to the harbor hoping to find another ship that would depart to China. However, they were sadly disappointed when they had found out that it would be an entire week before a boat would leave. They returned home to the dojo in a melancholy mood once more.

As they reached the gate, they noticed that one of the lights was on in the room.

"Oi Yahiko. Did you forget to put out the candle in that room?" Sano asked.

Yahiko's eyes glared daggers at the tall man. "No, I didn't," he seethed through clenched teeth as his hand reached over to the bokken behind him.

Kenshin looked angrily at the scene before him. _How dare they . . _His hand reached for his sakabatou as he silently crept through the shadows towards the lit room.

He was about to slide open the door when he heard a chilling voice rip through the darkened sky.

"Battousai .."

- - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"NANI?" 

Dr. Genzai had just returned home to his clinic with Ayame and Suzume in tow when he had heard the news of Kaoru's disappearance from his assistant, Takani Megumi.

"Kaoru's gone. They can't find her . . . and . . . and on top of it all, she has amnesia," Megumi said in a desperate tone. The situation started to seem drearier by the day leaving the female doctor in despair. Even though she never outwardly acted like it, Kaoru was one of her dear friends. 

Dr. Genzai plopped down on his chair as the information began to digest in his head.

"Megumi, what's wrong with Kaoru-neechan?" Ayame asked innocently as her eyes looked up towards the doctor.

"Kaoru-neechan!" Suzume echoed with her hands clapping in excitement in wanting to see her favorite sister once again.

Megumi looked down at the two with liquid forming around her eyes. _I can't cry in front of them then they'll know something is wrong_. "Oh . . . .  she . . . she went on a trip."

"Honto ni?" Ayame questioned.

"Kaoru-neechan? On a trip?" Suzume asked once again.

"Hai."

Ayame and Suzume looked down as Ayame started to speak. "But I wanted to see Kaoru-neechan again. I missed her! Will she be back soon?"

Suzume looked up sadly. "Suzume misses Kaoru-neechan!"

Megumi looked sadly and answered in a half-hearted tone, "Hai, she will be back soon."

Both of the girls brightened up considerably. "Then what about Ken-ni? Is he here? We want to see him!"

"Ken-ni! Ken-ni! Suzume wants to see Ken-ni!" Suzume clapped aloud, excited at the prospect of watching the rurouni wash the laundry and play ball with her.

"Yes, Ken-ni is here. But he is busy right now. We'll go see him later. First you both should get some sleep. You had a very long day."

The two girls yawned and stretched at her last statement. The woman tenderly looked over at the two of them as she picked the youngest one up in her arms and gently held the hand of the other one. She silently led them over to their rooms and tucked them in bed, giving them a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Oyasumi Ayame. Oyasumi Suzume."

The youngest one yawned once more and mumbled, "Oyasumi."

A smile reached the woman's lips as she closed the door to the room and made her way back to Dr. Genzai.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Dr. Genzai was deep in thought as he heard the three retreating footsteps. Megumi was taking his two grandchildren to bed. _How could this have happened? I never . . never thought that I would hear of Fujimoto Akane's name once again. How did he find out? How? How? How am I going to break this to the others?_

As he was lost in concentration, the doctor didn't notice the woman's footsteps nearing him. 

Megumi looked up at the doctor as she found him in the same exact spot she had left him earlier. She could see that the old man was deep in worry as his brows were furrowed and how his fingers kept massaging his wrinkled temples.

"Genzai-sensei?"

The doctor was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard Megumi's voice.

"Ah, Megumi-san. Sorry I did not notice your presence."

Megumi gave a nod in response as she made her way to the chair next to the old man and sat down. She poured him some tea as they both sat in silence. After an hour or so of solitude, the woman heard the man shift uncomfortably in his chair as he turned to face her.

"Megumi-san. I need to see the others tonight. There is something that I must tell them."

The woman nodded and without another minute's delay, the old man had walked back out into the night.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes**:

Please read and review! Thanks so much! Sorry this was such a short chapter. ^_^ . .

Also new RK characters are arriving in the next chapter! =d

**Papaya! **: Thanks. I'm glad you like it so far =D .. hehe .. I like cliffhangers ^_^

**Gozaru** : thanks .. it was cute

**Tin tin chan**: I'm glad you like the triangle thing. I like both of the couples too.. but in the end . .for this particular fic . .I decided to go with Kenshin/Kaoru. Also … later on you'll discover that the title will not only refer to Kaoru . .but to someone else also … hehehe =x

**Peach ^_^** : Thanks!

**Ymir-chan** : Sorry for waiting so long. School has been very busy. Anyway, this chapter wrote more easily. ^_^ 

**Ryoga** : Thnx for the insightful comments.

**Ana** : Hello! Thnx for the comments. Yeah, I saw the other story called "Forgotten Memories." Hehe .. thnx for telling me though. 

**Thunder sister** : haha .. I like the tense-ness of the entire story .. expect to see more..

**Princess of darkness and me** : Naw, I'm not gonna stop the story until I finish it. It may take awhile though.

**Kyosnekozukigirl** : Did I ever mention how long and difficult your name is .. hehe I always have trouble typing it .. =P Thnx for adding my story to your favorite stories list.

**Briar** : Umm..gomen . .I didn't do the interrogation thing with the guy that Saitou caught .. cuz .. it would take too long .. so I decided to get to the point. But we'll see a lot more of Saitou later on. Hehe. .

**Califpinay3001, chibifrog, Inugirl, ^_^** : I'm glad you like it so far.


	20. Kaoru's Father: Kamiya?

**Disclaimer: **Kenshin and Soujiro are not my property.

Amakusa Shougo struts into the room with hundreds of followers behind him. Magdaria stands by his side.

Sanosuke looks over to them and says, "What the hell is going on here? I thought you got over the whole thing about you being the son of God."

Amakusa Shougo smirks.

Sanosuke glares at him. "Tell me what the hell is going on!" He begins to get up and walk over to them.

Magdaria calmly steps over to Sano and places a hand over his chest. "Please, there is no reason for you to get so upset with my brother."

Sano looks over at the girl and his eyes soften. "Sayo . ."

She smiles.

Amakusa Shougo grimaces. "Stay away from my sister, tori-atama."

Sano's eyes shoot daggers at the voice. "Make me … you . .. you … impersonator!"

Shougo laughs. "You do not understand .. I am the son of Nobuhiro Watsuki! I control anything and everything that is related to Rurouni Kenshin!"

Sanosuke smirks at the comment. "Re-a-ll-y . . ."

"Just watch," Amakusa Shougo replies with a snap of his fingers.

_POOF!_

Sano's head feels all of a sudden lighter .. and .. much breezier? His face distorts into horror as his fingers reach over to the top of his head.

"MY HAIR!!!!!!" Everyone turned around to see a bald Sagara Sanosuke.

"I warned you, Sagara. Don't touch my sister!" Shougo says with a maniacal laugh, not noticing his sister walking towards him.

"To hell with you, onii-san!" Magdaria says, totally OOC.

Amakusa Shougo stands there stunned to the core as he watches his sister tramp off the set with a bald and shocked rooster-head in tow.

**Special Thanks to Wolf ^-^x and Lolinia84 for adding me to your Favorite Authors List!** Thanks so much! *author blushes . . =)

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 18**

Dr. Genzai was deep in thought as he heard the three retreating footsteps. Megumi was taking his two grandchildren to bed. _How could this have happened? I never . . never thought that I would hear of Fujimoto Akane's name once again. How did he find out? How? How? How am I going to break this to the others?_

"Megumi-san. I need to see the others tonight. There is something that I must tell them."

The woman nodded and without another minute's delay, the old man had walked back out into the night.

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"Battousai . ."

Kenshin turned around behind him and found the tall, looming figure of Shinomori Aoshi. He let out a mental sigh as his hand let go of the hilt of his sword. 

"Ao .."

"HIMURA!" Makimachi Misao jumped from out of the room and successfully glomped him in a fierce hug. 

"M-M-Misao-dono. . I can't breathe," Kenshin rasped in between breaths. Misao none too gently let him go as she turned and smiled a winning smile at her Aoshi-sama.

"Feh. What's the weasel-girl doing here?" Yahiko stammered as he came onto the scene.

Misao's eyes darted with deadly accuracy towards the origin of the voice.

"Why . .. you .." she took out a couple of kunais and waved them threateningly in the air. Yahiko promptly shut up. However, the rooster, being the baka that he was didn't notice.

"Oi weasel-girl, you don't look any different from when I left. You haven't grown at . . ." Sanosuke was promptly cut off by a couple of kunai pinning him to the tree behind him. He sweatdropped as he looked over to the shorter girl skipping towards the direction where the men had gone. _Che .. _

Kenshin and Aoshi paid no heed to the happenings around them as they made their way back into the dojo. As Aoshi kneeled down, Kenshin went to prepare some green tea for the both of them. When he had returned, he found the rest of them gathered around the same area. All anxiously waiting to hear what the Oniwabanshu had found out about Kamiya Kaoru.

Aoshi took a sip of his tea and gently laid it back down onto the table.

"Battousai, since you've notified us of Kamiya's disappearance we have not come up with anything useful. However, we have found out that this man, Fujimoto Akane, has enlisted a large group of men in his underground faction. Their motives are not yet clear to us, but we Oniwabanshu are keeping a close eye on them.

Also, you have also mentioned the name 'Higurashi Miroku'. This man, as we have found out, used to live in Japan during the Bakumatsu era working under the Shinsengumi. We also understand that he betrayed Fujimoto and ran to hide in China. However, his wife was not as lucky."

Aoshi took another pause as he drank another sip of the tea.

Misao looked astonishingly at the object of her affection. _I didn't know he could talk so much. Aoshi-sama! _Her eyes gleamed and sparkled at the thought. The dumbfounded looks on both Sano and Yahiko's faces expressed the same kind of bewildered sentiment.

Kenshin was not so interested in Aoshi's newfound ability to speak in a string of sentences, "Are you saying that Fujimoto killed Higurashi's wife?"

Aoshi gave a blank look and nodded.

Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Misao gave a sigh. _Back to the old routine again_.

Kenshin began again, "We've found a location on Kaoru-dono's whereabouts. We believe that she went to Shanghai, China in search of the man called Higurashi."

". . ." (A/N: Aoshi . .who else? ^_^ )

Misao looked thoughtful and asked, "But why?"

Sano interjected, "Some guy said that the boss said that Higurashi was Jou-chan's old man."

Misao was confused. "But I thought Kaoru's father had died. And wasn't Kaoru's father Kamiya Koshijiro?"

Kenshin replied, "Hai. This is what we're unclear about also."

"I can explain."

All heads turned towards the sixth new voice that appeared from outside the door. 

"Dr. Genzai," the four murmured beneath their breath.

"What do you know of this, Genzai-sensei?" Kenshin asked as he motioned for the older man to sit next to him while preparing him some tea.

"Aa . . it's a long and complicated story, which I do not very well know myself. However, I will tell you what I have learned from Kaoru's late father."

"Please continue," Kenshin said. All five faces intently perked their heads and ears in interest at what the doctor and old friend of the Kamiya family was about to say. Even Aoshi's eyes showed some gleam of curiosity.

"Kamiya Koshijiro's wife could not bear a baby."

Gasps of surprise were heard from Misao, Sanosuke, and Yahiko.

"Back then, Kamiya Koshijiro was a bodyguard of the man, Higurashi Miroku. Once Fujimoto Akane had learned of Higurashi's betrayal, he vowed to kill his entire family and friends. Luckily, Higurashi heard about Fujimoto's plans and promptly made plans for him and his family to escape Japan. In order to ensure the safety of his child, he gave her to his most trusted bodyguard, Kamiya. The father gave her to his friend, the child was only two weeks old.

When Kamiya came to me and told me what had happened, he asked me to create a falsified birth to make it seem like this girl was truly his and his wife's baby. I did and no one had suspected anything in the least. I never.. never thought that it would come down to this. Kaoru herself . . she does not know."

Misao, Yahiko, and Sano choked up from the intenseness of the story. _Kaoru . .Kaoru's dad is Higurashi Miroku. That's why Fujimoto wants to find her and kill her. He wants revenge for what had happened back then. _

"He will not take Kaoru away from us!" Misao said confidently with her hands tightening into a ball. Sano placed a firm hand over her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze.

"Has Higurashi ever tried to contact Kamiya again?" Kenshin asked.

"Sumimasen. I do not know, however I doubt that he had. I don't think he would have wanted to endanger the lives of his daughter and friends."

"Aa."

Dr. Genzai began to get up. "Kenshin, I'm sorry. . demo . . I do not know any more information. However I do believe that our Kaoru is a strong person and I know that she will come back to us."

Kenshin paused as he let the old man's words sink in. "Arigato."

Dr. Genzai methodically walked to the door, bid them all good night and went on his way back to the clinic.

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"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!?!" a voice bellowed through the hall.

A timid and short-statured person nervously walked over to the source of the sound and answered, "Fujimoto-sama, he hasn't reported back in a day. We've sent out men to search for him."

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" he yelled frustratingly as he clawed at the hand rests beneath him arms.

The timid man below him cringed.

"HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO KNEW WHERE TO GET INFORMATION ON THAT NO-GOOD ASSHOLE, HIGURASHI!" He pounded his fists onto the armrests and it shattered into pieces.

The servant cringed some more.

"LISTEN HERE!"

The servant straightened up as he bowed down slightly to take the orders. "Hai!"

"In the meantime, I want you to gather as many men as possible so that you can find where he had gone to to retrieve the information."  

"Hai," the servant replied submissively.

"What are you waiting for?!?! Go now! Hurry!" The angry man bellowed as he slammed his fist into the sides of the chair. The servant jerked up from his bowing position and belted out of the room. 

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In Kamiya Dojo

"So what do we do now?" asked Misao as she looked at the others.

"To China . . . to find and bring Kaoru-dono back home," Kenshin replied confidently.

"I'm going with you also!" Sano and Yahiko both responded at the same time.

"I'm going, too!!" Misao replied enthusiastically. She looked over to Aoshi to see what he would say. He gave a nod. Her smile brightened.

"Well then . .what are we waiting for?" the genki girl said as she jumped up from her sitting position and started to skip her way outside of the gates. Before the others could utter a word, Misao was out the door. 

"Uh, should someone go call her back?" Yahiko asked bewildered.

Aoshi just gave a blank look directed at the gates.

After a couple of seconds, the girl came jumping back. "Gomen, I forgot it was already so late." She stifled an embarrassed giggle with a hand over her mouth. The other four didn't respond as they made their way back into the confines of the dojo to get ready for bed.

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The five residents of the dojo woke up bright and early the next morning. Kenshin, having woken up a bit earlier, had breakfast set out for the rest of them. After they ate, they went about preparing themselves to leave for China. 

Makimachi Misao was especially excited at the prospect of traveling to a foreign country with her Aoshi-sama. She was imagining a scene of both her and Aoshi standing next to each on the boat staring into one another's eyes as she heard,

"Oi~ weasel girl, go buy the tickets!"

_Damn that rooster-head_, she thought as she was jerked out of her daydreams. The ninja girl grumbled as she started to make her way towards the ports.

After an hour trek, she finally reached the area and asked where she could buy tickets for the next boat out to China.

"Gomen-nasai little girl . . ." One of the older sailors started.

_I'm not a little girl_, Misao thought in anguish as one of her eyes started to twitch.

"Demo the next boat out to China doesn't leave port until next week."

"NANI?!?! But we have to leave NOW!"

"Sumimasen," the man replied once again as he turned around to leave. Misao looked at the other guy in defeat as she walked back home to relay the depressing news to the awaiting men.

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- To be continued

Author's Notes 

Please read and review!! Thanks!

Someone mentioned that Aoshi refers to Kenshin as "Himura" instead of "Battousai", but after watching the anime series. .he still continued to refer to him as "Battousai" even though Aoshi returned to the Oniwabanshu. He refers to everyone else by his or her last name. 

**Briar** : Thanks .. your comments were really insightful. The idea about Tokio and Kaoru meeting .. wow =D I think I'll definitely do that. Thanks for the idea!!! =D hehe . .

**Papaya!** – I hope that this clears it up for you some =D .. finally the truth about Kaoru's real father is revealed! Hehe . .and I didn't leave a cliffhanger for this one either. ^_^

**Gracianeko** – Yes! Kenshin's longing for Kaoru is very very infectious . .. when the three of them meet, you know that tensions are going to arise. His reaction towards Soujiro .. well, you'll find out in the later chapters. Oh yes, the chapter where Megumi had found out that Kaoru had amnesia was Chapter 9 .. it was not mentioned .. I'll add it in later when I edit it .. but Sano and Yahiko would have told megumi that Kaoru has amnesia. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoy it! I really like reading your comments =D

**Califpinay3001, Kat-gurl1, Inugirl, Saotome, Ryoga, Lolinia84** – Thanks for your comments! They were really helpful and encouraging. I'm glad you like the pairings. Hehe ..I enjoy writing cliffhangers. .but this chapter didn't have one though. Sigh . .oh well

**Wolf ^-^x** – Thanks for your comments and everything.

**Rc** – Thanks for the comments. I'm glad you are enjoying the fic. Hehe . . I have a friend that likes to just find out what happens in fics instead of reading them also. .how funny

**Princess of Darkness and me** **– **Apparently, Dr. Genzai has been hiding a lot from the Kenshingumi earlier. =) I hope that this chapter answered your questions.

**^_^** - Saitou has tickets .. but they are for himself and Tokio. He would not be soo nice as to give them to Kenshin. Also. You guessed right .. it was Aoshi =D hehe .. I'm glad you like the story so far.

**Kenshinfan** – Thnx for the comments. Hehe .. they're always very entertaining to read.


	21. The Will to Protect

**Disclaimer: **Rurouni Kenshin and company are not mine, but Nobuhiro Watsuki's property.               

**Author's Notes: **I will not update until I receive 365 reviews. ^_^ hehe .. 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 19**

"Gomen-nasai little girl . . ." One of the older sailors started.

_I'm not a little girl_, Misao thought in anguish as one of her eyes started to twitch.

"Demo the next boat out to China doesn't leave port until next week."

"NANI?!?! But we have to leave NOW!"

"Sumimasen," the man replied once again as he turned around to leave. Misao looked at the other guy in defeat as she walked back home to relay the depressing news to the awaiting men.

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****One Month Later

Two casually dressed figures were making their way through the bustling streets of Shanghai, China. (A/N: When I say casually dressed, I mean Kaoru wearing her gi and hakama while Soujiro wears the blue outfit that he has.) A melodic feminine voice was heard amongst the crowds.

"Sou-chan!" Kaoru called out to the man in front of her while waving her arms to gain attention. 

"Doushite, Kao-chan?" The young smiling boy stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly to face her. 

"Do you think we'll find this man? We've been searching for him for the past two weeks. . . and . . . and . . .there's no trace of him," she said with a sigh as she clasped both of her hands together in front of her. The two of them had traveled on the boat for two weeks before arriving in Shanghai and have yet to find any relevant information about Higurashi Miroku.

The young congenial man fully turned around with his eyes softening at her statement. Soujiro saw that her head was slumped down and her bangs were covering the glum look in her eyes. He gently put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find him."

She looked up into his eyes with a glimmer of hope. "Honto ni?"

His lips curled up a bit higher seeing that she had cheered up a bit. "Hai." She grinned at his positive attitude and they walked together side-by-side as they asked around for the mysterious man.

"Excuse me, sir . . but do you speak Japanese?" Soujiro asked for the twentieth time that afternoon. They had been walking aimlessly and asking everyone that came in sight for information on Higurashi Miroku.

"Dui bu qi, wo bu dong ni shuo de shen me," a shopkeeper replied in Chinese while he continued to show off the goods that he was selling.

Soujiro gave an exasperated sigh as he wiped some of the sweat off of his brow with the back of his hand. _How long will it be until we find you, Higurashi-san? _He looked over to his side at the girl who had become so close to him in the past month or so and his heart warmed. _Until we find you Higurashi-san, I'll cherish every moment that I am with her. _His clear blue eyes dimmed a bit at the thought that they would not be together once her father was found. _Demo . . demo . . she said that I would always be welcome in her home_. His eyes glazed over as his thoughts turned towards being able to spend more time with her without having to worry about people going after her life.

"Sou-chan, daijobu?" Kaoru looked at Soujiro with worried eyes. He had been standing still in the middle of the street for quite some time.

Soujiro's eyes flashed a bit once he snapped out of his thoughts. He focused his eyes and found another pair of sky-blue eyes looking into his. He blushed.

_His face is turning red. . . . .Oh no! He might be catching a fever!_, Kaoru thought in trepidation as she quickly held out the back of her hand to his forehead. 

Soujiro stumbled backwards a bit at the sudden contact. "Ka - Kao- - Kao-chan, what are you doing?" he asked in an embarrassed tone as his eyes widened.

Kaoru squinted her eyes and gazed at the boy strangely. "Are you coming down with a fever? I just wanted to check your temperature."

"Oh."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Ano . . yes, I'm fine. Sorry for making you worry. Arigato."

Kaoru's smile eased up a bit once she heard that her companion was doing fine. They had both become very close to one another in the time they had been together. And somewhere along the line, both had obtained some untouchable bond that none other could replace. It was almost as if fate had brought the two of them together and attached some invisible red string between the both of them. 

The two renewed their search once more as the afternoon sun began to beat heatedly onto their backs. Both Soujiro and Kaoru were sweating profusely. Soujiro saw how tired Kaoru had become and when they had reached a place littered with tables and benches Soujiro asked her to sit down and rest.

"You look tired, Kao-chan. Why don't you sit here and rest underneath the shade while I go out and look for more information?"

"No, you're tired also. Why don't we both sit and rest for awhile?" Kaoru asked pleadingly.

Soujiro smiled at her image and politely refused the request. "No, I've got to find him. I'll feel much better knowing that you are resting while I look for him."

Kaoru pouted at hearing his words. "Mou!"

The boy knew that this was her way of saying that she would do as he said. He chuckled at the sight, but his face grew instantly serious when he told her to stay there and not move. "I'll come back for you in a little while, Kao-chan. Don't go wandering around."

"Hai," Kaoru said defeatingly.

With that said, Kaoru watched as the figure of Soujiro became smaller and smaller in the distance. Her heart ached a little. This was the first time he had actually left her side in China, the only other times when she had been by herself in this country was when she had gone to bed. _But even then, _she thought, _even then . .he would make sure that I was already underneath the covers before closing the door and going to sleep himself_. 

The next hour and a half passed without much incidence.  Kaoru sat by herself at the table fiddling with a small teacup that once held green tea. She gave a defeated sigh out of boredom as her blue eyes scanned the area once again. _Where is he?_, she thought impatiently as she looked over at the horizon from where she had seen him last.

_That's it!_, she pushed herself out of the wooden bench and walked out of the place she had been in for the past hour. As she exited the small building she was in,  she thought,  _I won't go far, I just want to look around a bit. _It was as if she was trying to make an excuse to not stay in the same place.

She found her sandals kicking up a lot of brown dirt and dust as she walked a bit further down the street.

"Hey there beautiful! Care to join us?"

Kaoru's head shot up at the voice and looked around. She found a group of seven burly looking men surrounding a tall, beautiful woman dressed in a Japanese kimono a couple yards ahead of her.

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"Not in your life!" the taller woman said angrily as she clutched a basket of fresh vegetables in her hand. She turned her head up towards them in disgust as she walked from out of their clutches.

Not a minute later, another man said, "That's not very nice, lady." He grasped her arm with a big, rough hand.

"Would you please remove your hand from my arm?" the lady asked with annoyance. Her nose pinched up a bit with disgust at the sight.

"You guys heard what she said!" Another feminine voice was heard. All heads turned towards the direction of the voice.

One man smirked. "Aa.. another young lady for us to play with."

Kaoru's mind raced as she saw the man saunter lazily towards her. When she had seen the scene in front of her, she let her instincts take over. _Protect. I've got to protect her from them_, her heart said. She had raced back into the place where she had been sitting and broke one of the wooden benches, grabbing the wooden leg and placing it in her fists. (A/N: This will be the make-shift bokken.)

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she ran with all her might back towards where the men were harassing the woman earlier. She shook her head a little as she squinted her eyes and adjusted back into her present surroundings.  Kaoru noticed the man in front of her smirking menacingly.

"Well, well . . what do we have here? This one is quite beautiful also," he said as he lifted his hand to tilt up her chin. She slapped it away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" 

The same man glared at her as he rubbed his hand. "That hurt you bitch!" His hands fisted tightly as he raised it, ready to hit her.

She jumped back and took out the make-shift bokken from behind her clothing. Kaoru held it level towards the midline of her body as she raised it and hit him straight on the top of the head. Not a second later, the body slumped down onto the floor. All that was present gaped at the sight before them, even Kaoru herself. 

"You're going to pay for that, bitch!" One of the other men yelled. Kaoru looked up and found the other six men glaring with hatred towards her. 

Her heart quickened in fright and anticipation as she saw the humongous men making their way towards her. She held out her bokken in front of her as she anxiously awaited for them to strike.

A fist came towards her from the right side. She just barely dodged it as she swung her bokken around and thrusted it into the man's side, knocking the wind out of him as he keeled over onto the dirt ground. Another two fists came towards her. Kaoru crouched down low, missing contact with the both of them. In a fluid motion, she tilted her bokken up and aimed it at the two mens' stomachs. As the wooden head of the weapon made contact with flesh, two succeeding loud yelps of pain were heard.

_Four down. . . three more to go_, she calculated as her eyes closely followed the movements of the three people circling around her. She moved her feet methodically with bokken clutched tightly in her hands as she gaged what her opponents' next moves would be.

Kaoru heard a rustling of cloth and her eyes darted to the origin of the sound. Two of the men took out small daggers that were hidden behind their clothes. They swung them menacingly towards her.

Her brows knitted with worry, but her determination and courage would not let her back down. _I can do this_, she thought as she clutched the bokken tighter within her grip.

"Just give up now, sweetie. You can't beat us! Three against one . . that's not good odds for you," one man said while twirling the dagger within his hands.

"I beat four of you already, I can beat another three no problem!" Kaoru retorted with her eyes narrowed.

The man's ki flared as he took a swing with his dagger at the feisty woman. She crouched down and rolled over stopping right underneath him, and caught him off guard while thrusting her bokken deep into the man's armpit area. He gave a loud shout of pain and astonishment as the dagger fell with a _clang_ onto the dusty ground. She then knocked him unconscious by hitting him in the back of the head.

Then the other man came towards her and swung a fist at her. She moved her head sideways, leaving the man punching only through thin air. Kaoru grabbed him by the arm and threw him onto the ground, knocking the wind out of him.

Finally, getting back into her fighting stance, she turned around to locate the last one. Just as she turned around, a fistful of dirt was thrown into her face. She couldn't see anything and blinked furiously as the man with the dagger was about to thrust the sharp weapon into her chest.

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Seta Soujiro was tired. _Extremely tired_. He was currently walking towards the place where he had left Kaoru to rest and relax when he heard a shout of fright. 

His heart stopped. 

He knew that voice. 

_Kaoru_.

All thoughts were banished from his head as he frantically made his way towards the scene before him.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review!


	22. Heartache and Relief

**Disclaimer_ : _**I don't own Kenshin or Soujiro or Sanosuke. =( or Aoshi . . .

**Special Thanks to kittenkatie and CATGURL3 for adding me to your Favorite Author's List** =D .. thanks so much!

**Karen** – Thanks for the email =) It was very sweet .. I'm glad you like the story =D I will be sure to check out your stories.

Also thanks to all the readers for all the positive reviews I have been getting =*) . . . .

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 20**

Seta Soujiro was tired. _Extremely tired_. He was currently walking towards the place where he had left Kaoru to rest and relax when he heard a shout of fright. 

His heart stopped. 

He knew that voice. 

_Kaoru_.

All thoughts were banished from his head as he frantically made his way towards the scene before him.

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Yahiko paced in front of the inn with his arms behind him mumbling curses. The Kenshin-gumi had arrived in Shanghai two days ago and had yet to find any information about his sensei, Kaoru. 

_Shiksho, where is she?_, he thought angrily as he kicked up some dirt beneath his feet. _I hate standing here and doing nothing when I could go out to look for Kaoru. _His eyes moistened a bit when he mentioned her name. An image of her popped into his head. Kaoru calling him Yahiko-chan, Kaoru running around the dojo chasing him with her bokken raised high above her head, Kaoru commanding him to do five hundred repetitions of a swing, even . .even . . Kaoru's poisonous food. Yahiko grimaced a little when he remembered the fowl tasting cuisine. _Demo . . demo . ._

A lone tear slid down Yahiko's cheek. He quickly brushed it away with the back of his hand.

_I'll never make fun of your food again . . . if it means that we can find you, Kaoru_, he silently prayed in his head.

"Oi! Yahiko!" Sanosuke called out from within the inn.

"What do you want?!?!" Yahiko yelled back, snapping out of his melancholy thoughts.

Sanosuke strut out of the building with a fishbone in his mouth and both hands jammed deeply in his pockets. "Nothing here. Let's go to the next one."

The young samurai let out a sigh as they began to walk to the next inn. Both Sanosuke and Yahiko had been searching throughout the streets of Shanghai, stopping at each and every inn, asking the people if they had seen her. So far they've only gotten negative feedback when they asked if anyone had seen a girl like her by describing her features.

After walking for another few minutes to the next inn under the blistering hot sun, they had finally reached another inn.

"Stay on guard and look for any signs of her. Also keep an eye out for anyone suspicious," Sanosuke warned as he began to walk into the inn.

"Yeah, yeah," Yahiko mumbled underneath his breath, "I already know the drill. You've only told me about five hundred times since we got here!" He waved his hands up in frustration. _I'm not a kid you know! _

Sanosuke looked over to the boy standing in front of the inn and cocked a smile. _Yahiko's grown up so much. It's been a little over a month since Jou-chan's disappearance . . . but in that time . . . in that time . . Yahiko has changed. She'll be so proud to see him when we find her._ His eyes glazed over at the thought of reuniting with her and sucked in his breath at the sudden emotion he felt. 

_We'll find you, Jou-chan . .no matter how many inns I have to look in . . no matter where you are .. we'll find you. And then . .. and then . . . it'll be like old times again_. His eyes became a little dreamy when he reminisced about the times they had spent together in the dojo. He also thought about the times they ate together at the Akabeko. Kaoru and Yahiko would always bicker with one another throughout the entire meal. Sanosuke himself would often join in the fight when he was not eating, of course. And Kenshin. . he would sit back with a smile while he ate comfortably in the noisy surroundings. _Ah . . .to have those days back . . ._, he thought sadly as he walked up to the person standing next to the counter.

"Ni hao," the person at the desk spoke in Chinese. (Hello.)

"Ni hao," Sanosuke spoke in broken Chinese. He had picked up quite a lot during his stay in China when he was running away from the Japanese police. (Hello.)

"Qing wen .. ni kan jian guo yi ge ri ben nu ren guo le ma?" (Have you seen a Japanese woman lately?) Sanosuke asked. He then began to describe her : blue eyes, long black hair, how tall she was, her age.

"Aa .. dui bu qi. Mei kan jian guo," the clerk replied. (Sorry. I haven't seen anyone with that kind of description.)

The ex-fighter felt his heart drop another couple of notches. They had gone through so many inns and had asked so many people and each time they said that they hadn't seen her, he felt just that much more depressed. He would often try to keep his spirits up and be positive, but it was difficult. Especially when he had plowed through so much of the city already. Sano gave an exasperated sigh as he left the building and informed Yahiko that they would go ask somewhere else.

"I hope weasel-girl and Aoshi are having better luck than us," sighed Yahiko.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Achoo!" Somewhere in the busy city of Shanghai, a genki pig-tailed girl sneezed.

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Himura Kenshin sat on the concrete steps in front of the police station in Shanghai, China. His head was hung low, body slumped over, and his crimson red hair in disarray. _One month and two weeks, Kaoru-dono . . . it's been that long since I've last seen you_,he thought sadly. His vision blurred as he remembered her angelic image that had helped him through so many times since he had first met her.

It was just before nightfall in one of the alleyways of Tokyo. Someone had called out his name demanding a fight.

_Matte Hitokiri Battousai!_, her voice yelled in his mind.

Kenshin let out a hoarse chuckle. _So headstrong and brave she is de gozaru ka_. His throat tightened further at the memory and he could feel the sharp pain in his heart. _Doushite? After all we've been through . . . why now? _Kenshin's fist tightened in his lap as he ground his teeth in anguish.

_I've got to find her . . because without her . . . _

_Without her . . . _

_I feel empty._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

THUMP! 

Kaoru's knees buckled underneath her as she felt the weight of the dagger slashing through the splintered wood. She squeezed her eyes closed and let out a struggled yelp at the sudden impact. Kaoru fell helplessly on to the ground, pinned down by the man on top of her. When she had opened them once again, she saw him and _it. _Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. _It_ was so shiny and sharp that it had kept her mesmerized in its beauty. _So beautiful .. and yet .. so deadly_, she thought as she saw the dagger inches away from her chest.

She looked back down at the useless piece of wood she clutched in one of her hands. The last attack had completely mutilated it to be utterly unrecognizable. She silently made a prayer as she closed her eyes waiting for the dagger to find its place. _I'm sorry Sou-chan_, she thought as a shiny tear slid down her cheek.

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Soujiro arrived onto the scene. He saw the man on top of Kaoru with his dagger only centimeters away from Kaoru's chest. _Shit!, _Soujiro thought in alarm as broke off into a fierce run, employing full use of his Shukuji. As he ran closer and closer, the two figures seemed to stretch farther and farther away from him. _I won't be able to reach her in time! Kaoru!!!! _

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SLASH 

Kaoru grimaced as she kept her eyes tightly shut. _This is it.. it's all over_, she thought sadly. A few seconds later she noticed something was wrong. _Where's the pain? _She slowly opened one of her eyes little by little. The man that was on top of her was not there any more. Her eyes widened in alarm as she quickly got up from the ground and saw it on the side of her.

Blood.

A dead body.

She screamed.

On closer examination, she saw it was the man that had attempted to kill her earlier. Kaoru grew alarmed and looked around. 

"You . . ." Kaoru whispered as she saw a thin, tall figure approach her.

"Yes . . . I wanted to thank you for what you did for me earlier. But you know. . . I could have handled them myself," the woman said in a velvety smooth voice. The woman held a deadly, sharp fan in one of her hands. On closer examination, the shihondai saw that the woman was indeed very elegant with her hair tied back in a bun. Her eyes were a clear gray and her lips were curved into a thin smile. She was beautiful.

Kaoru looked down. She was completely embarrassed. The woman that she had attempted to protect earlier ended up saving her! 

"Domo arigato," the girl replied in a timid voice.

The older woman smiled warmly. 

"Kaoru !!!" a familiar voice screamed out.

Kaoru turned around and immediately felt guilty when she saw the taller figure a couple of feet from her. Soujiro's eyes displayed anger and he wasn't smiling. Not at all. "S – Sou-chan . .. gomen." Her head hung down low and the black bangs covered her eyes. 

There was only silence.

Kaoru was about to look up after a few more seconds, when she was pulled into a fierce hug.

"Kaoru!" Soujiro muffled her name into her neck.

The girl's eyes widened at the sudden affection displayed by her male friend.

"I . . I was so scared. Please . . . please don't ever do that to me again," he continued.

His warm breath tickled her neck and she blushed at the intimacy. "Sou-chan . . it won't happen again. Don't worry," she replied reassuringly.

Soujiro's grip loosened little by little as he slowly pulled his body away from hers and looked into her eyes. Even though they had been so close to one another since they had been together, he would always be amazed by the emotions that were captured in those sapphire blue eyes of hers. He could feel his breath shorten when he saw her looking so seriously at him.

"Kao-chan, I'm so glad you're okay," the boy exclaimed while he gave a squeeze on her shoulders.

Kaoru smiled. They continued to look into one another's eyes when they heard someone cough.

"Oh! I forgot!" Kaoru exclaimed a bit embarrassed as she quickly turned around on her heel so that she could face the woman that had saved her. The woman smiled endearingly at the both of them.

"Thank you miss, for saving her," Soujiro sincerely said as he gave a low bow towards the woman holding the basket of vegetables.

"Aa . . . well, this young lady was good enough to want to help me out when those men were bothering me. I couldn't stand by and not do anything," she replied.

Soujiro smiled.

"Well, I better get going. I don't want my husband to get worried about my being gone so long," she said as she began walking back towards the direction she had been going earlier. She had taken a few steps before she heard a voice call out,

"Excuse me! Could I have your name?" Kaoru asked.

The elegant woman turned her head towards blue-eyed girl and said with a smile, "Hajime Tokio. Pleased to meet you." 

"Arigato, Tokio-san!" Kaoru said in a lighthearted tone as she gave a small bow.

Tokio tilted her head slightly in reply as she continued on her journey home in the setting sun.

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks much! I'm so glad that everyone that I've gotten reviews from enjoys this fic so far =d  Also .. it'll probably be awhile before I get to update again. .. gomen. I have a lot of schoolwork coming up so I won't have much time to devote to writing. Here are some clarifications on anything that could be questionable in this chapter:

The reason for Kenshin's group coming so late is because their ship was delayed on the ocean.

The weapon that Tokio used to kill Kaoru's attacker was the metal sharp fan. There are holes within it so that daggers may fly out. So the little daggers that flew out of the fan, killed the man.

Also, Kaoru's memory is coming back little by little. But nothing significant. She fought because her instinct to protect the other woman kicked in. 

_Reader Responses:_

**Briar** : Hehe . .as you can see I used the idea about Kaoru meeting Tokio and her using Kamiya Kasshin Ryu =D hmm .. what will Saitou's reaction be I wonder? =P anyway, thanks so much for the idea and input =D.. Also this is POST-ENISHI .. I think I mentioned in the very first chapter that there would be Jinchuu spoilers in this story. Also .. umm.. maybe you'll see Enishi? Maybe not . .hehe . . I guess you'll just have to wait.

**Kenshinfan** : Thanks for the comments =) lol .. the apocalypse =D Your conversations between ur alter-egos (is that what they are?) are really fun to read.

**Kittenkatie** – Kaoru and Kenshin will find each other soon . . don't know how much longer though =) 

**Catgurl3** – hehe . I'm glad you think Sou/Kaoru are a cute couple =D I think so too!!! 

**Ana** – here's the updated chapter. I hope you like it.

**Califpinay3001** – I hope this one was a bit longer for you. =)

**Pzanna** – I totally sympathize with you about schoolwork. Aigo . . I feel it too. I have a Neurobiology test coming up. I will be studying that soon. 

**^_^ - **Yeah .. I'm glad Kaoru was safe too .. it would really really suck if she died in this story. Blech .. I can just imagine the flames for that one. Hehe

**Innocence8** – I'm glad you like my story so far. Expect to see some unexpected twists…. Maybe. .? heh

**CurlsofSerenity**, **Poppy2, Kyozgirl, saotome, PrincessofDarkness and me, Katgurl1** – I'm happy I'm keeping you interested. . hehe =D

**Tracey** – Aww. . thanks .. the comment was really sweet. . =) I have fun thinking up scenarios for both Soujiro and Kaoru .. hmm. . I can't wait to start writing up the chapters when Kenshin and Kaoru will meet!

**Roseofthedesert** – Thanks. Yes, Kenshin will find Kaoru sometime soon in Shanghai . . hmm it would be awful to just leave him searching for her forever. . 

**Blazes purple fire** – Haha. That was funny. Well, this update came pretty quickly I think. I didn't expect to get so many reviews in so little time. =) Thanks for the comments though, they were very heartwarming to read.

**Gracianeko** – Kaoru only remembers bits of her past. Nothing to make sense of yet. Her instincts kicked in when she saw the woman being taunted by those men. Yes, she'll question her ability in the later chapter. =)


	23. Dreams of the Past

**Hs Disclaimer**: All characters of RK are owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki.

**Author's Notes**: Did you know that VIZ is coming out with the Rurouni Kenshin graphic novels for the US in November? =D

Also..thanks to all the reviewers for correcting me about Tokio's last name =) 

**Also thanks to BluBre3zeDr4g0nwing for adding me to your Favorite Authors List! ** =D =D =D 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 21**

"Excuse me! Could I have your name?" Kaoru asked.

The elegant woman turned her head towards blue-eyed girl and said with a smile, "Saitou Tokio. Pleased to meet you." 

"Arigato, Tokio-san!" Kaoru said in a lighthearted tone as she gave a small bow.

Tokio tilted her head slightly in reply as she continued on her journey home in the setting sun.

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Kaoru and Soujiro began to walk back to the inn that they had been staying at for the past week. The ever-smiling boy paid for it with what little money he had on him. As they were walking down the dirt path, Soujiro looked a bit uncomfortable. Kaoru noticed it.

"Sou-chan, what's wrong?" she asked with a worried expression on her face.

The man turned his head towards her and smiled politely.

"Iie. It's nothing," he replied unconvincingly.

Kaoru could tell he was not telling the truth, but she did not push the subject any further.

Soujiro turned his head back towards the road and his eyes clouded over. _I almost lost her today_, he thought. He looked in the corner of his eye to see the lively blue-eyed girl walking next to him, wincing every now and then at the new bruises and sores that she had acquired during the brawl. He ached at the sight and wished that he could take whatever pains she had away from her. _This won't ever happen again. I can't let it happen. I can't see you get hurt._ He thought back to the scene that played out only a few moments ago. And then something hit him. Soujiro stopped in mid-step and jerked his head towards the girl. Kaoru noticed this and stopped following suit with the actions of her male companion.

"Ano . . Kao-chan . . .when did you learn how to fight?"

Kaoru widened her eyes and her mouth dropped open into an 'o' shape.

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Tokio walked back to the inn and slowly unlocked the door. She gave a surprised gasp as she saw the tall, looming figure standing near the window, his back facing towards her. The elegant woman gave a tender smile as she felt her husband's shoulder relax at her mere presence. 

"Where were you?" Saitou asked sternly.

"Out buying some vegetables for your dinner, anata," Tokio replied.

Saitou glanced back at his wife's face with a gentle smirk. "I mean, why are you late?"

"There was some trouble along the way," she started.

Saitou's eyes narrowed as he quickly scanned over her physical features, making sure that she had not received any injuries. His breathing relaxed when he saw that she indeed had not sustained any injuries of any sort.

Her heart warmed when she saw her husband's concern. "It was nothing that I couldn't handle," she added as reassurance.

Her husband gave a low grunt as he turned back to face the window. He spoke up again after a few minutes of silence.

"I hope you took care of those ahous."

Tokio let out a small chuckle at her husband's words. "Hai, anata." She took slow steps towards her husband and placed a loving hand over his shoulder.

Saitou looked over to his side to see his wife's caring face and his eyes softened. He gave her a small, gentle smile. They both looked at the scenery from beyond the window in companionable silence.

The couple stood there like that for a couple of minutes before Tokio remembered something. She turned to her husband and said with a pleasant smile, "Oh. I met a very nice Japanese woman today."

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Yahiko and Sanosuke returned to the shabby inn that both Sanosuke, Kenshin, and him had been staying at. Both sat around glumly waiting for the rurouni to return. They deathly hoped that Kenshin would have at least some news about their Kaoru. The Tokyo samurai then decided to break the deafening silence.

"Eh..rooster head .. when did you learn how to speak Chinese?"

Sano looked up and his lips turned up into a small smile. "Well, when those damn cops were chasing me all around Tokyo, I left for this place. China. I needed to make some money and . . . what better way than gambling? But I had to learn some of the language before I could do anything. Those sneaky bastards could really cheat you out of your money if you didn't understand it." He paused and gave a sigh. "Lived here for bout five months until I decided I wanted some real Japanese food again." His eyes stared off dreamily as he thought of his return to Tokyo and to all of his friends. 

Yahiko listened intently. _So that's what you have been doing while you were gone. _His eyes lit up with a bit of admiration for the man as he told his story. _It must have been tough being in a foreign country . . . not knowing the language and not having any friends or family_, Yahiko thought.

_SWISH_

The door to their room opened up. Sano and Yahiko's head instantly shot up towards the entrance. Standing there in the middle of the doorway, was a bedraggled and frazzled red-haired man. In his hands, he still held the now worn-down brown hat.

"Kenshin . . ." Sano and Yahiko started. But in their hearts, they already knew that Kenshin had not found anything. 

The ex-hitokiri raised his head up and looked at his two close companions. He firmly clutched the Western hat in his hands as he gave a sigh of disappointment. He saw from both of their downcast expressions that they hadn't had any luck in finding any trace of Kaoru either. He let out a heartfelt sigh of disappointment. Without a word, Kenshin turned on his heel and left the room with his head down.

 "Kensh - -," Yahiko started as he got up from his sitting position. Sano put a firm hand over the young boy's shoulder. The boy looked over to his spiky-haired companion.

Sano shook his head. "Let him be."

Yahiko's muscles relaxed as his eyes softened. He turned his head as he took one last glance at the door.

"C'mon Yahiko. Let's get some rest."

"Uhn," he replied in agreement.

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Kaoru lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling above her. _When did I learn how to fight? Who taught me? _After an hour or so of pondering these never ending questions about her forgotten past, her eyes finally started to drift off to sleep.

_Dream Sequence_

"Kaoru! Kaoru! You need to keep your back straight and put your feet and legs in this position. Watch," a tall dark-haired man said.

_A little girl with raven-black hair and blue eyes stood in the middle of the dojo floor with a small bokken in her hands._

_"Mou!" she exclaimed impatiently as she stomped her foot on the polished wooden floor._

_The older man chuckled as his brown eyes sparkled at the sight. He demonstrated to the young girl once again how to properly wield the weapon. The blue-eyed girl followed closely each subtle movement that the man used and tried to imitate it to the best of her ability when it was her turn again. She did it perfectly the second time._

_"Good job!" he said with a laugh at the young girl's serious and determined expression on her visage. He gave a strong pat on her back. The girl smiled widely back at him as her stomach gave a low growl. Her face turned red as she looked back down at the ground._

_"I see someone is hungry. Luckily, your okaasan has just finished making dinner for us. Come on, Kaoru-hime. You accomplished a lot today," the older man said with admiration in his voice._

_Chibi Kaoru brightened up at the mention of food as she rushed out of the dojo and towards the delicious smell of her mom's cooking wafting from the confines of the kitchen ._

_End Dream Sequence_

Kaoru gave a slight smile at the memory while she was sleeping as she turned to her side.

_Dream Sequence 2___

_Chibi Kaoru ran over to her mom's room, feeling that something was wrong. She stopped in front of the doorway as she gave a small yelp of surprise. She quickly hid herself behind one of the walls as she gazed in at the scene before her._

_The same older man was kneeling down at the bed-ridden figure of the woman. The silence at the time .. it had been so .. so deafening. The little girl was frightened at the sudden melancholic air that was brought about to her home. Then, she heard it. Sniffling. .it had been the man. He was mourning the loss of the woman. The little girl's heart ached at the scene as her own eyes began to tear up._

_End Dream Sequence 2_

Kaoru shifted uncomfortably in her sleep as she lay on her back. A small tear trickled down from the corners of her eyes.

_Dream Sequence 3_

An older version of Kaoru was teaching one of the few students in the dojo. Another older man watched her demonstration of the kata with a content smile on his lips. 

_"Kamiya-san will be so proud to see how much you have improved in the short time he has been gone," the man said._

_Kaoru smiled at the prospect of seeing her father once again. "Arigato, Dr. Genzai."_

_KNOCK KNOCK_

_The raven-haired girl quickly excused herself as she made her way to the gates of the dojo. When she opened the door, her breath stopped short._

_"Kamiya-san?" the stiff man in a soldier's uniform questioned._

_Kaoru gave a slight nod of her head as she began to grow uneasy. She had a bad feeling about this. She took a quick glance at the dojo and saw that the older man was making his way towards them. Dr. Genzai saw the visitor at the door and came out of the dojo sensing the girl's uneasiness._

_"I am terribly sorry to inform you of this, but Kamiya Koshijiro passed away yesterday morning protecting a foreign official." He paused and added in thought, " It was a very honorable death."_

_No response._

_The soldier gave a respectful bow as he left._

_Kaoru's heart stopped. This couldn't be true .. this can't be happening .. no, no, no, NO! The girl gave an anguished sob as she collapsed on the floor. Tears were falling uncontrollably down on her rosy-tinted cheeks. Dr. Genzai kneeled down on the ground next to her and tried to comfort her._

_"Doushite . . . doushite . ." the girl asked brokenly in between sobs._

_End Dream Sequence 3_

The early morning hours were just beginning as the sun silently crept up into the sky, casting light over the shadowy streets of Shanghai. In a room not so far from the city, one girl could be heard sobbing as she constantly said the words, "Otousan .. otousan…"

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes**:

Please read and review!

Yay! So Kaoru has finally regained her memory about her father and mother. =D Hehe . . so it should be interesting when she meets up with her real father, Higurashi . .

Also, about Saitou and Tokio's relationship. Saitou is not the gushy type, but he shows his love to Tokio through everything that he does and how much he cares about her. Tokio understands this. (A/N: At least, this is how I imagine their relationship to be like.)

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_Japanese Translation_:

Hai – Yes

Doushite – Why

Okaasan – Mother

Otousan - Father

_Reader Responses_:

**Kenshinfan** – kenshinfan, kusako, and anna . . thnx for the comments! Soujiro an infinite beauty? Where'd u read that from? Hehe . .

**Wolf ^-^x** – Yep, Kenshin will find Kaoru pretty soon =D It won't be too long from now.

**Rc** – No, Kaoru won't meet Saitou . . maybe later? I don't know for sure yet .. 

**Oni chan** – This is a Ken/Kao fic . . not soujiro . . =( gomen! But it should be a happy ending for both parties . .maybe .. hehe . . you'll find out I guess. .

**Shihali** – Thnx for the correction! 

**Nine Fires** – Thnx for the comments! This is a K/K fic. . 

**Kitty12perfecto** – Thnx for the comments. I'm glad you like the story so far.

**Kittenkatie** – hehe . .that seems to be the main question so far. . kenshin will find kaoru pretty soon . . =)

**Poppy2** – Haha . .that would be terribly anti-climactic if Tokio and Kaoru become friends. . lol . . that would be horrible . .sigh

**Babo** – Thnx for the correction! Hehe . . I'm glad u like this story! I love yours too!!! I especially like the new one "Going Back" .. it's awesome! Please update your stories soon!! I can't wait to find out what happens next. ^_^

**Lain6** – Yup, Saitou's wife .. yes, hopefully that will help the matter somewhat =)

**Kyozgirl** – Here's the update .. hope you liked it.

**Tracey** – Aww . .thanks so much for your review! *author blushes . . btw, yes I do watch Inuyasha. I like that show very much! =D I was planning on doing an Inuyasha/RK crossover where Kaoru is a miko. I started a little bit of it . . . maybe I can post it in addition later on . .I'll see I guess.

**Princess of darkness and me** – Yes . .Kenshin will see Kaoru with Soujiro . . I've already thought up some stuff that may happen between them . .hmmm..in btwn 2 choices .. About how Tokio looks like . .I don't know . .but I just imagined that she would be very pretty .. and had to be special in order for someone like Saitou to fall in love with her. So I made her incredibly dangerous also . . dangerous beauty hehe . .

**Ana** – Thnx . .I'm glad you like it.

**^_^** - I just made up how I imagine Tokio to look like .. yes . .she must be a very generous woman to marry someone like Saitou . .someone who is incredibly strong also .. (as in spirit) .. Yes, all the main characters in China now . . I don't know about Fujimoto though . .he could be lurking around there somewhere with his band of henchmen.

**Blazes Purple Fire** – Thanks for adding me to your favorites list!! =d I'm not entirely sure of how I want Kenshin and Kaoru to find each other . .or if someone else is going to find Kaoru before our rurouni does .. you'll just have to wait and see ^_^ About the metal fan, I think it's cool too! I think I read about it somewhere.. don't know where though..

**CurlsofSerenity** – Hi! I'm glad u like the chapter! Here's the next update! Aah .. no flying monkeys!

**Beriath** – ni hao! Hehe .. your mandarin seems to be pretty good ^_^  .. 

**Innocence8** – hehe . .i'm glad u liked my portrayal of Saitou's wife .. lol . yeah I can't wait to see Kaoru's expression when she realizes that..lol.. oh yeah . . I added some translation for some of the words I used. Hope that it helps.

**Midnight Yume-chan** – I'm glad you like the story =D hehe .. yay! I changed another person's mind about the Sou/Kao relationship =D I hope you enjoy the rest of it.


	24. Him

**Disclaimer** : I don't own Kenshin . . why? =*(

**Special Thanks to Boomerang-chan, devotd-inu-fan, and Princess of Darkness and Me for adding me to your favorite authors' list! ** =D aww . .thanks so much!!!

**Also thanks to all the readers who have added this story to your Favorites List! I wish I could thank you guys by name, but those names don't show up on my stats. ** =(

And thanks for all the wonderful reviews that I have been getting. =o) .. Thanks so much!!! 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 22**

Her husband gave a low grunt as he turned back to face the window. He spoke up again after a few minutes of silence.

"I hope you took care of those ahous."

Tokio let out a small chuckle at her husband's words. "Hai, anata." She took slow steps towards her husband and placed a loving hand over his shoulder.

Saitou looked over to his side to see his wife's caring face and his eyes softened. He gave her a small, gentle smile. They both looked at the scenery from beyond the window in companionable silence.

The couple stood there like that for a couple of minutes before Tokio remembered something. She turned to her husband and said with a pleasant smile, "Oh. I met a very nice Japanese woman today."

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Saitou slept soundlessly next to his wife on the bed that night. It had been a long time, a very long time, before he was even able to fall asleep with both eyes closed since the end of the Bakumatsu. He contentedly let out a sigh as he felt the first rays of the morning sun creep up against the windows.

The officer lazily got up as he took another loving glance at the woman beside him. He took long strides as he walked over to the window to look at the scenery before them. He thought back to the conversation that his wife and him had the evening before.

_Flashback_

_"Oh, I met a very nice Japanese woman today."_

_"Oh?"_

_"Yes, anata. She helped me when those men were bothering me."_

_Saitou grimaced and his eyes darkened as he heard his wife's words. A low growl was emitted from his throat. "Bothering you . . ." he snarled through his teeth. His fists clenched tightly at his sides at the thought of those men, correction, any man who would dare lay a finger on his wife._

_Tokio smiled gracefully as she wrapped her hand around her husband's lovingly. This calmed down the husband considerably. She continued,"the young lady had some training in some form of kenjutsu that I have not seen before. She had knocked those attackers unconscious without killing them."_

_Saitou huffed in reply. "I would have killed those good-for-nothing bastards."_

_End Flashback_

Saitou paused in thought as his yellow wolfish eyes narrowed. _Japanese woman that knows how to fight? Damn it, could it be?_

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Soujiro quickly got up when he heard the sniffling. _Kaoru! What's wrong?_, he thought immediately as he made his way towards the girl. When he got there, he was shocked. The girl was crying soundlessly in a fetal position mumbling the words, "Otousan . . otousan"  _I've never seen her like this .. what happened? Who did this to her?_ His eyes instantly scanned the room (out of habit) and saw that no one was present. 

He kneeled on the ground and lightly stroked her hair.  Soujiro smiled softly when he felt that she had calmed down quite a bit with his touch.

"Kao-chan . . . Kao-chan . .." he whispered into her ear as he gently shook her.

Kaoru's tear-filled eyes blinked open slowly. It took her awhile before her vision focused and she recognized the figure before her. "Sou-chan  . ." she said inaudibly.

"What happened?" the boy asked in a voice laced with concern.

"I  . . I had a dream . . . and . . and . .I remember now," she mumbled as fresh tears started to spring up in her clear blue eyes.

Soujiro was shocked. _She's getting her memories back! . . .demo . .why is she so unhappy? Does she have unwanted memories of her past? _It hurt him deeply to see her so upset. _Does this have to do with yesterday?_, he thought as he remembered how she fought against those thugs. 

"I .. I had a father and a mother," she began. " . . and .  . and . .. they both passed away." She started to sob into her hands, her body shaking with sadness. "It . . it's not fair .. do you know what it's like . .. to find out that you have something . . and . .and then .. the next minute it's gone?" _I just remembered my parents .. only to find out that I'm alone . . they're gone. I'll never see them again._

The boy looked sadly at the girl and then he thought . . _Wait . .did she say father and mother? Then . .then .. _Soujiro remembered when Fujimoto Akane mentioned that Higurashi Miroku was her father, the man that they had gone all the way to China to search for in hopes to regain Kaoru's lost memories. _Then Kaoru's father died?_ His demeanor cast a serious visage over his being when he asked Kaoru a pointed question, "Then who is Higurashi-san?"

The girl looked up at him with confused and teary eyes. She cupped her hands over her face as her bangs forcefully shook from side to side as she shook her head. Kaoru's entire body was trembling as she brokenly said, "I. . I . . d-don't know . ."

Soujiro defeatingly watched as the girl continued to cry. He hated seeing her in so much pain and him. He hated himself for not being able to do anything to console her. _But we've gotten so far already,_ he thought, _we just can't give up now. There has got to be something more to this. _With that last thought in mind, he urgently put a firm hand on Kaoru's shoulder.

"Kao-chan . . .Kao-chan," he said trying to comfort her. "I'm sorry that you have to go through this much pain. I .. I wish that I could do something to lessen whatever pains that you have."

Kaoru turned over to the boy and hugged him with all her strength as she tightly closed her eyes. In a strained voice she whispered between sniffles, "I'm . . . I'm just glad you're here Sou-chan."

Soujiro smiled slightly and returned the embrace.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -

_ Early afternoon in the outskirts of Shanghai _

A sweaty couple trekked through the dirt-laden paths towards an abandoned patio with a pagoda-style roof. The girl wiped some sweat off of her brow as she let out an exasperated sigh.

"How much further?"

"Not much," the stoic man replied.

"But we've been walking the entire two days!!! Aren't we there yet?" she complained as she plopped her little frame on one of the wooden benches.

" . . ."

The man sat down gracefully with both legs crossed as his eyes gazed upon the horizon just before them. He closed his eyes as he began his meditation rituals. His companion looked at him with a smile. _How dreamy this is to be walking in the countryside with my Aoshi-sama!_, she thought with a contented sigh. _I wonder how Himura and the others are doing_. 

After a half an hour's rest, Misao started to become fidgety. The man got up and turned towards the girl. "Let's go," he stated.

"Hai!" Misao replied enthusiastically as she jumped up off of her seat. She walked (no . . it was more like bounced, skipped, ran) in front of Aoshi as they continued on their way. The girl continually looked behind her and flashed a bright smile towards the object of her affection as they walked down the path.

As night began to approach, their destination was finally visible within the horizon.

A temple.

- - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

A tall, muscular figure stood on the ship's deck looking at the purplish-blue horizon before him. The salty breeze whipped across his lock-jawed face and mingled with his dark black hair. The man's brown eyes gleamed as he watched the Tokyo shores grow smaller and smaller. 

He gave a triumphant smirk as he looked down at the piece of paper before him.

_Higurashi Miroku._

_Disguised as a monk in the Qinghua Temple located in Shanghai, China._

_Has been residing there for about eight years._

_No clear relations or connections with anyone in Japan._

"It'll only be a matter of time now, my friend," he voiced in a menacing whisper to no one in particular.

His finger unconsciously traced the faint scar on his neck.

- - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Soujiro and Kaoru walked alongside one another as they milled through the dirt and dust on the path. The boy looked over to the girl next to him. The tears in her blue eyes had long dried up and there was a clear spark of courage and determination found within them. That morning after the boy had comforted her, Kaoru remembered why they had traveled to China in the first place. Higurashi. She had to find him and after finding him, she'd have the answers.

Spending time with her the past month and a half had taught him a lot of things and had given him a lot of insight into her personality. Kaoru had a strong character and a strong heart, he thought. And _that_ above all was much more important than being physically strong he decided as he remembered the old motto that he used to live and abide by. He admired her for her determination, her ability to care for others, her strong will and sustenance and countless other attributes. There was not one, not anyone like her that he had met in his entire twenty years of living. _I wonder .. I wonder how things would have been different if she was there back then_, he thought wistfully. 

He reminisced back to his fight with the man called Battousai and he remembered. _It's not too late for me. Himura-san gave me another chance. I can start over_. He took a sideways glance at the girl next to him and his heart warmed. _Thank you Himura-san. If it wasn't for you, I would have never met . . her._

Kaoru felt Soujiro's eyes on her and turned her head slightly towards him.

"Is something the matter?"

Soujiro smiled warmly and shook his head back and forth, implying that there was nothing wrong. Kaoru returned the smile. She thought back to the time that she had first met him. _His smiles_, she thought as she took another quick glance at the man on her right, _look more genuine than before._

The couple continued to walk on as the sun began to dip beneath the mountains. 

*_COUGH, COUGH_

Kaoru stopped in her tracks and turned towards the sound. She saw there by the side of a lake, a middle aged man sitting with his back to the tree. She could not make out his features clearly because of the shadow from the tree.

*_COUGH, COUGH_

Feeling sympathy for the man, she started to walk over to him. Soujiro enclosed his hand over her wrist, as his eyes questioned what she was doing. Kaoru turned around towards him and smiled. She lightly patted his hand to reassure him. 

*_COUGH, COUGH_

Kaoru reached the area and could make out the man's figure more clearly. He had dark black tresses with traces of gray hair and a medium-tall statured body. The man's fine muscles were outlined underneath the dark blue and black layers of cloth he wore. Adorning his ear, was a small gold hoop earring.

*_COUGH, COUGH_

His body seemed to double over and shake each time he coughed. As she approached him, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a simple white handkerchief. Kaoru crouched down next to the man and handed it to him. The man's head slowly pulled up as he accepted the gesture of kindness in sincere gratitude. At that moment, startled blue eyes met her own.

-

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the long delay in updating! I've been really busy with schoolwork and everything else. Also, I had a bad case of writer's block, I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with umm .. well, you'll see. On another note, I was posting a teaser onto Fanfiction.net earlier this week, but I found that it just seemed to interrupt the mood for the story. =( Sigh .. Anyway, I just posted it as a separate story. You can find it under my author's name. It's a teaser for: What will happen when Kenshin and Kaoru finally meet?

_Reader Responses:_

**Beriath** – Don't worry, Kenshin will find Kaoru soon! =D

**Gracianeko** – Thanks for the comments! Yes, they'll meet soon. =D You'll have to wait and see if the sparks fly or not. 

**Kenshinfan** – Sorry this is not an actual update, but I was just playing with what would happen if they met etc etc. Hehe . . =x

**Curls of Serenity** – Aah .. Tokio told Saitou about meeting Kaoru. But if you see chapter 21, Saitou didn't think much of it mainly because there are a lot of Japanese women who are in Shanghai at the time and also because he was upset that some thugs had the nerve to actually think about attacking his wife.

**Baby Kaoru-Sama** – Thanks for the comment =D I hope you update your story soon!

**^_^** - Yeah . .it was a sad memory. But she'll have some other memories return. Some more sad, and some happy.

**Ryoga, saotome, jouchan, sugoichan, Inu Girl, tanukionna** – thanks for the comments

**Wolf ^-^x** – Thanks =D I'm so happy you like it. Sorry it's not another chapter. But I'll get the next one up asap. =D

**Boomerang-chan** – Thanks for putting me on ur favs! It's really flattering for me. *author blushes. As for your question, no Tokio is never makes an appearance on the actual anime series or the manga. I think she's the number one mystery character in RK =D Oh yeah . .I'm not sure where the sweatdrop thing came from. Did you find out where?

**Blazes purple fire** – I'm glad you like the story. Yeah. I'm really flattered by all the reviews I've been getting. Thanks so much for reviewing! Hehe . .your comments are fun to read. Lol . .I would like one of those fans also. ^_^  Hmm. . as for the entire meeting thing . .you'll have to see what happens. But one thing that I will tell you is that the first time Kaoru and Kenshin meet .. Soujiro will be there also … =/ .. hehehehehehhhhehe *author cackles evilly*

**Poppy2** – Hehe . .yeah, it will be quite a dramatic scene when they meet up. =x .. hehe .. I have a lot planned for it.

**Princess of Darkness and me** – Gomen this is not an actual updated chapter, just more for fun this was written. =/ hehe . .

**Midnight Yume-chan** – Sorry this isn't an actual update. I'm almost done with the next chapter. I should be posting it up soon. Grr. .writer's block .. =(

**Rc** – I'm glad you enjoy the story so far =D Hope the rest of it is up to your expectations.

**OniTokage** – Hehe . .I'm glad you enjoy the stories and you find the disclaimers interesting. Hehe . .those are a lot of fun to write. =D I hope you update you story soon! I think it's awesome.

**Devotd-inu-fan** – Hi! Thanks for adding me to ur favs list!!!!! =D *author blushes . .hehe .. 

**Papaya!** – I'm glad you liked my portrayal of Saitou/Tokio. I think they're an awesome couple. =) especially cuz I think Tokio must be some woman to be able to tame the wolf.

**Noner_89** – Sorry this isn't an actual update. I'll update the next chapter soon!

**Chibi Fyrefly** – Hi! I'm really happy you like the story so far! Thanks for adding me to ur favorites list. =) Hehe . . I hope you enjoy the rest of it.

**Kitty12perfecto** – Thanks for all the great comments =D I hope you will enjoy the rest of the story.

**Ame Kurayami** – Hi! Sorry about the confusion. Earlier this week I had posted up the teaser and I think you thought that this was the actual part of the story. Gomen. This teaser (filler chapter) was just meant to be for fun. 

**Catrina3** – Sorry about the mix-up earlier this week. =D Hope you enjoy this chapter. =D


	25. Tea with Tokio

**Disclaimer : RK is not mine.**

Misao looks over at the author and exclaims: More scenes of my Aoshi-sama and me!

Aoshi: ….

Soujiro: Let the author write what she wants.

Soujiro winks at the author and whispers into her ear: More scenes of Kaoru and me!

Kaoru blushes.

Kenshin becomes watery-eyed and Sdfaced: Author-dono, please let me find Kaoru-dono now!

Author looks at everyone and laughs evilly.

All the RK characters cower in fear.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long delays in between each chapter. Thanks for all those readers who have continued to stay with this story ^_^.**

**Special Thanks to: Lila Paige Rose, kagome-sits-inuyasha, and MissBehavin **for adding me to your favorite author's list! =D You don't know what a privilege that is for me ^_^

**Off-topic Note: **If you are able to, go watch Cirque du Soleil's "VAREKAI!" Which is French for 'wherever'. It is such an awesome show! A beautiful display of sheer strength, coordination, grace, and music. I absolutely loved it and found myself on the edge of my seat the entire time. Those people have such amazing talent!

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 23**

The couple continued to walk on as the sun began to dip beneath the mountains. 

*_COUGH, COUGH_

Kaoru stopped in her tracks and turned towards the sound. She saw there by the side of a lake, a middle aged man sitting with his back to the tree. She could not make out his features clearly because of the shadow from the tree.

*_COUGH, COUGH_

Feeling sympathy for the man, she started to walk over to him. Soujiro enclosed his hand over her wrist, as his eyes questioned what she was doing. Kaoru turned around towards him and smiled. She lightly patted his hand to reassure him. 

*_COUGH, COUGH_

Kaoru reached the area and could make out the man's figure more clearly. He had dark black tresses with traces of gray hair and a medium-tall statured body. The man's fine muscles were outlined underneath the dark blue and black layers of cloth he wore. Adorning his ear, was a small gold hoop earring.

*_COUGH, COUGH_

His body seemed to double over and shake each time he coughed. As she approached him, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a simple white handkerchief. Kaoru crouched down next to the man and handed it to him. The man's head slowly pulled up as he accepted the gesture of kindness in sincere gratitude. At that moment, startled blue eyes met her own.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Saitou sat lazily in one of the chairs near the window taking a long puff of his cigarette. He looked outside and saw the red-headed figure as he took long, purposeful strides towards the entrance of the building. Kenshin's head was hung low and his back slumped over a little bit. Saitou then noticed the other two trail not so far behind him. The cop smirked, _the baka roosterhead and the kid_. 

He gave a slight nod to his wife, who was in the other room, indicating the man's arrival and let his gaze travel over to the door as he waited for Battousai to enter.

Kenshin burst through the door, anger quietly seething throughout his body. He had expected that Saitou would journey to Shanghai, but had not thought that Saitou would contact him so quickly.

"Saitou . ." Kenshin greeted in a menacing voice. 

"When the hell did you get here, Saitou?" Sanosuke bellowed as he thrashed his way through the door. "I thought you said that the Tokyo police force was toooo good to start out a search for Jou-chan," he exclaimed in an exaggerating tone as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave a grunt. His eyes glared at the police man's sitting figure in the chair.

Saitou took a puff of his cigarette and glanced over to the ex-fighter nonchalantly then turned his attention to the crimson-haired man. "Nice to see you, too Battousai," he said with a small smirk adorned on his thin face. Kenshin's eyes glared amber at the man. Saitou continued without regard as he took a drag of his cigarette, "The reason I called you here is because it seems that my wife had an unexpected meeting with Kamiya yesterday."

Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sanosuke sucked in their breath at Saitou's meaningful words. Their hearts became elated at the fact that she was there and someone had spotted her. Saitou took another puff of his cigarette before he began once again.

"Where is she now?" Sanosuke asked hurriedly.

"Is she okay?" Yahiko questioned impatiently right after Sano.

Saitou lazily dropped his arm onto the chair and tapped the cigarette gently. "My wife said that she seemed to be just fine."

Kenshin's breathing relaxed when he heard that Kaoru was okay. "Just fine, Saitou?," the man said sternly with his eyes narrowed.

The police officer smirked and replied, "Yes, quite fine."

"What happened? Was there anyone with her?" Sanosuke asked.

"Was it Tenken?" Yahiko stammered.

Saitou looked at the two excited figures warily and replied, "The description of the man that my wife has given me does match that of Tenken's."

At that moment, a woman clad in a deep purple kimono came into the room. Her hair was put up in an elaborate bun adorned with beautiful pins. Yahiko and Sanosuke's mouths dropped open at the woman's sheer elegance and beauty. She gave a small bow towards the guests in the room and let her eyes rest on Kenshin.

"Nice to finally meet you, Himura-san. My husband has told me much about you and your current plight."

Sanosuke put a hand over his mouth as he whispered to Yahiko who was at his side, "Did she say husband?" Yahiko nodded in response.

The ex-street fighter stood there stunned. _Wife? Matte! That would mean . . . that would mean. _Sanosuke slowly looked over to Saitou who was at the moment smoking a cigarette in the corner of his eyes. Then he turned his gaze to the woman in the room. _No way! No fucking way! _ 

Kenshin nodded in response and replied, "Hai, Saitou Tokio-dono. Any information you could give us about Kaoru-dono would mean a lot to us right now." (A/N: Kenshin knows the name of Saitou's wife because Saitou told him in the Kyoto Arc.)

_THUD!_

Everyone turned their heads and found Sanosuke's body twitching on the floor. _Saitou's wife?!?! Saitou's wife?!?!?!, _Sano screamed in his head.Twitch twitch.

Tokio coughed politely and all attention was focused on her once again. "I met your Kaoru-san yesterday while I was coming back from the market. She had tried to help me when a group of men came and harassed me." Saitou grimaced at his wife's story and Tokio shot him a small smile, which instantly comforted him. "She seemed perfectly healthy and fought very well when she was pitted against the ten or so men that attacked." 

Upon hearing the comment, Kenshin clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. _What if she got hurt? Damn, if only I was with her!_

Tokio noticed Kenshin's sudden flare in ki and said smoothly, "Daijoubu, Himura-san. She came out of the fight without more than a scratch or two." Kenshin's animosity lessened after hearing her affirmation that Kaoru was okay.

"What about the guy who was with her?" Yahiko interjected.

Tokio smiled slightly. "Aa, he was a little taller than Himura-san, dark black hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a blue gi and hakama." 

Sanosuke who came out of his momentary coma asked, "That sure sounds like Tenken. What about the creepy smile? Did he have that creepy smile when you saw him?"

She paused in thought as to remember and said, "No, when I saw him he was not smiling. He was actually quite angry at Kaoru for throwing herself into danger like that."

"Che! Ol' busu can handle herself against those thugs," Yahiko commented with a frivolous wave of his hand. 

Kenshin sat in the wooden chair while he slowly digested all the information that had been given. 

"So Tenken hasn't hurt her or anything?" Sanosuke asked incredulously.

Tokio looked over at the man with a calm demeanor and let out a whisper of a chuckle. "That man hurt your Kaoru-san? From the affection that he had shown her yesterday, I would think that he was her husband or a very dear friend at least."

Sano and Yahiko's jaw dropped open. _K—Kaoru and . . Tenken?!?!?! _Then Sano inserted with a lot of exclamation, "That creepy freak better not lay a hand on Jou-chan! Or he's gonna get it!" He then took a fist and punched his palm with it for added emphasis. 

Saitou gave a broad smirk. "And what can you do about it, ahou? We haven't even found them." Sanosuke's mood quickly dissipated after his comment.

That was when they noticed how quiet and sullen Kenshin had been throughout the entire questioning and looked over to him.  

The rurouni's heart had stopped at hearing those words coming out of Tokio's mouth. _Her husband . . Kaoru's husband. _This was something that he had **not **taken into consideration. _Soujiro falling in love with Kaoru-dono?!?! How could I not think of it before? Any guy could fall in love with her, _he thought sadly as he remembered her image practicing with Yahiko. 

"Oi Kenshin," Sanosuke started sensing the reason behind Kenshin's solemnity, "Jou-chan wouldn't get hitched with anyone especially when she doesn't remember anything about her past. It's just not her character."

Kenshin looked up at his taller friend and nodded in agreement. The heaviness in his heart lifted a little bit after his friend's words. _Yes, Sano's right. I shouldn't think like this. All I should be worried about is finding Kaoru-dono and getting her back home safely.. _Then he turned his attention towards Tokio, "Arigato, Tokio-dono. But could you tell us where you last saw her? Do you have any information about where there are staying? Where they are going?"

Tokio nodded sadly. "Sumimasen Himura-san. I don't know any information about her current situation. However, I can tell you that I last saw her somewhere along Nanjing Lu. I hope that can give you a start to look for her whereabouts."

Kenshin stood up and bowed at the elegant woman before him. "Arigato gozaimasu! You don't know how much your help has meant to me."

Tokio smiled affectionately at his display of gratitude. _Kaoru-san must be very special to him. _"You're welcome, Himura-san. I only wish that I could have had more information for you." Kenshin smiled politely back towards her and left with Yahiko and Sanosuke who followed after him. The woman looked back at their retreating figures. _That girl . . she must be some extraordinary woman to be able to tame both the legendary Battousai and Tenken. _She inwardly smiled at the thought and looked over to her own husband who was the Mibu's wolf. 

"So anata, could you accompany me to see the sites around here?" 

Saitou looked over at his wife gently and tossed his cigarette out the window. He bent his arm in a gesture to allow Tokio to loop her own arm through his. She did so and his eyes brightened at the sudden warmth that came along with it.

- - - - - -  - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - -  - - - -  - - - - - - - - -  -

**QINGHUA TEMPLE**

Aoshi and Misao looked up at the giant sign whose letters were embroidered in gold and black background. The shorter girl wiped some sweat from off of her brow. They had to walk up about three hundred or so steps in order to reach that temple located on the mountains. 

"Whew! We're finally here," Misao exclaimed.

"Uhn," Aoshi replied in agreement.

The couple looked through the brilliant red wooden pagoda-style entrance into the main courtyard. A monk dressed in yellow with a red tunic adorned with gold seams was slowly making his way towards them. In his hands, he held a string of wooden beads that he kept fingering while mumbling some sort of mantra. Aoshi and Misao politely bowed towards him when he came closer.

"E Mi Tuo fuo," the monk said. (A/N: A religious chant they say.)

"Ni hao," (Hi.) Aoshi said. Misao looked up appreciatively at her taller companion. She didn't know that he could speak Chinese fluently also.

"Ni hao. Ni dao zhe li you shen me mu di?" (Hello. What brings you here?) the monk asked with his hands still in a praying position. 

"Wo men xiang zao yi ge peng you. Ta de ming zi shi Higurashi Miroku. Ni ren shi ta ma?" (We're looking for a friend. His name is Higurashi Miroku. Do you know of him?) Aoshi asked.

Misao watched the entire exchange with heated glances in between both the monk and her Aoshi-sama. She was trying to discern whether or not the monk had heard of Higurashi Miroku. _He must! The Oniwabanshu here said that Higurashi came to hide in the Qinghua Temple. _As Aoshi said the name "Higurashi" she noticed the man's eyes widen a little at the familiarity of the name. But as quickly as it was there, it was gone. She would have missed it if she had blinked even once.

"Dui bu qi, wo bu ren shi ta. Ru guo ni mei you bie de wen ti, wo xiang shui jiao qu. Xie xie," (Sorry, I don't know him. If you don't have any other questions, I plan to go to bed now. Thank you.) the monk replied as he politely bowed and departed.

Misao tugged on Aoshi's sleeve. "He's lying! He knows Higurashi!" she whispered loudly as the monk left within hearing range of the two people.

Aoshi nodded. He had also seen the glint in the monk's eye when he mentioned Higurashi's name. _Why would they not tell us of his whereabouts?_, Aoshi thought. He looked over to Misao who was getting out a pair of kunai from underneath her garment. The taller man placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to him with a confused look while he shook his head 'no'.

"Why Aoshi-sama? He knows who Higurashi is! We've got to question him! For Kaoru and Himura's sake!" she said with her blue eyes dancing fervently in determination.

Aoshi smiled causing Misao's ki to deflate. She was in complete awe at his unexpected smile. 

The man spoke, "Misao, threatening him would do no good. He won't tell us anything. We must wait until the time comes to ask him again."

Misao nodded even though she was a bit lost at his words. They started to descend the mountain as the stars one by one began to appear in the night sky. The emerald-eyed girl took one last glance at the temple as the both of them made their way back into the city to look for Kenshin.

- - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The monk quickly got up out of his sitting position with help from his shakujou1 after he locked eyes with Kaoru. The girl was startled by his reaction. A moment ago she thought she had seen a hint of recognition in the man's blue eyes. 

"Daijoubu houshi-sama?"

The monk politely put his hands together and bowed respectfully towards her. "Daijoubu, arigato miss."

Soujiro watched the interaction between the two with a suspicious eye. He had seen how the monk's eyes had widened upon looking at Kaoru. _He seems as though he recognizes her, but how?_ _Kao-chan said that she had never left Japan before then how would that man know her.  . .and it seems that . . he  also understands Japanese fluently, _he thought. Soujiro walked up closer in between the two of them and smiled his stoic smile. 

"Konnichiwa, it seems that you can speak Japanese fluently," the boy stated.

The monk's eyes widened a little at the boy's sudden appearance before him and replied, "Yes, I've learned Japanese from the businessmen that come over here once in awhile." The boy smiled suspiciously at his statement, but after seeing how he interacted with Kaoru, believed that the monk was no threat. 

Kaoru looked fondly over at the monk. 

_*COUGH, COUGH_

The girl looked worriedly at his trembling figure and it was then that she noticed for the first time how sunken in his cheeks were and quickly took out the man tou2 that she had been saving for a snack later that day. The monk took it gracefully and thanked her wholeheartedly. 

A cold breeze blew in the late afternoon sky and the girl shivered a little. She looked over at the man who was quickly finishing the food she had given him. _He doesn't seem to have a place to stay. He's already sick, I can't leave him like this when it's getting cold outside. _Seeing that the man had no place to stay and the weather was becoming a little chilly she said to him, "Houshi-sama, it seems that you have no place to stay. If you would like, you could stay with us in the inn for tonight."

The monk's heart warmed considerably at her kind request. Soujiro himself was not surprised at her offer because he had grown used to seeing Kaoru's kind actions towards strangers. 

"I'm sorry, I cannot impose such a great burden on you kind people," the man in the bluish-black robes started. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to whom it belonged to.  He saw another pair of blue eyes look at him cheerfully.

His own eyes looked over at Soujiro with a surprised look. The boy had seen that Kaoru earnestly wanted to help the monk and his actions demonstrated that he too would help him. Soujiro emphasized his agreement with her offer by giving the monk a smile and a nod of the head. The monk smiled brightly at their kindness and finally accepted the offer.

"Arigato gozaimasu," the monk said while bowing down low.

That evening, Soujiro, Kaoru, and the monk reached another inn in the outskirts of Shanghai. The inn was a bit run-down with weeds growing aimlessly in the front. They were allowed to live there because Soujiro and Kaoru had agreed to help out with whatever chores they had in return for letting them spend the night there.

After working on the various chores around the hotel, Kaoru, Soujiro, and the monk were treated to a small meal of pao fan and preserved vegetables3. It was very simple, but it filled them up and gave them enough energy for the work ahead of them. The three of them ate in companionable silence and occasionally Kaoru and Soujiro would comment about what they thought of the city or ask about the mannerisms people had in China. All in all, the conversation was kept very general and no personal questions were raised. Once Kaoru had asked for the monk's name, but he ignored the question and strategically changed the topic without sparking the girl's curiosity at the reason why he wanted his identity to remain unknown. The entire time Soujiro had noticed how the monk would constantly steal glances at the girl whenever she didn't notice and how when Kaoru spoke, the monk would give her his full attention. _His eyes, _thought Soujiro as he looked up from his bowl of rice towards their new companion, _seem to brighten up when he looks at Kao-chan. _Then Soujiro himself looked at Kaoru and smiled genuinely at her display of liveliness while she was telling some story about their adventures so far in Shanghai. S_he has that kind of effect on everyone. _

The blue-eyed girl noticed that Soujiro was looking at her and turned towards him with a smile.

The young man's heart warmed at seeing her happy and he returned the smile. 

Kaoru saw how Soujiro was smiling and confirmed what she had thought earlier. _Sou-chan's smiles are becoming more genuine. He's different from when I first met him. Before he seemed to be a bit confused and unsure of himself, but now he's become more confident of himself when it comes to displaying his emotions. He's not so afraid to show me his feelings. _She looked back at the boy as he continued to eat. A piece of rice was stuck to the side of his mouth and she stifled a giggle. Soujiro noticed this and looked up at her confused. 

She reached over and gently picked off the piece of white rice near his mouth. Soujiro looked over at the sticky white rice in between her fingers and he smiled. _I hope that I get to see more of those smiles, _she thought as his face turned a bit red from embarrassment.

Kaoru let out another cheerful laugh.

_- - - - - - - - - - -  - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -_

That night after Kaoru had fallen asleep, the monk lay stirring on his futon. His thoughts were in disarray. _I should leave! I should leave! I can't stay here!_, he thought. But then another part of him, his heart, ached at leaving the girl who was asleep in the next room.  

_But if you stay here, they'll catch her for sure. You'll put her in more of a danger!_, he finally sat up at the last thought. _That's right, I can't let anything happen to her. _He quietly got up and took his shakujou as he crept out of the room. Little did he know that a pair of cobalt blue eyes followed him.

As he reached the dimly lit hall, the monk let out a sigh of regret as he closed his eyes. He glanced over at the door in which the girl was staying within. _After so many years .. she's grown up so much. _He took a step towards the door. _Let me have just one last look at her, onegai. _His feet slowly walked over to the room's direction and opened the door a crack.

Kaoru's long raven-black hair was in disarray as she tossed and turned in her sleep. She was having nightmares that night once again. The monk looked in on her figure with watery eyes and walked into the room. He set down his Buddhist staff and crouched next to her sleeping figure. He rested a hand on top of her forehead, which at the moment was laced with beads of sweat. As his the coolness of his hand touched her forehead, Kaoru instantly calmed down and she started to breathe normally. A small smile crept up on her lips subconsciously.

The monk watched her sleeping visage with a wistful look. _If only I could stay with you longer like this, my dear Kaoru-chan_. His robes felt like a weight and left him rooted on the ground for a while longer. This would be the third time that he was leaving her side. A lone tear slipped from his own blue eyes as he slowly got up. He took his staff and walked out of the room. The man took one last glance at the girl before he closed the door.

He turned around back towards the hall and his eyes widened in shock at the figure that blocked his exit.

"You have a lot of things to explain, Higurashi-san," Soujiro exclaimed with piercing, narrowed eyes.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter also. (^_^) Here are some clarifications on the chapter:

1.) Shakujou is a typical Buddhist staff usually the length of the person himself (5'). It has gold hoops around the top of it. It is very typical to see Buddhist monks carry around these kinds of staffs.

2.) Man tou is a sort of Chinese bread. It is about the size of your palm and it is circular in shape. It is very popular as a sort of lunch food that is eaten in replacement of rice.

3.) Pao fan is rice in water. Usually Chinese people have preserved vegetables along with it, for instance preserved radishes. The veggies are usually salted and stored in some sort of soy sauce mixture. It's a very simple meal, but it is very good. ^_^ Hehe .. sometimes when I get lazy I have pao fan and peanut butter. Hehe .. odd combination I know, but it's very good. 

Also, Higurashi Miroku was able to recognize Kaoru because she had blue eyes and has an uncanny resemblance to his late wife. (A/N: This was mentioned in an earlier chapter when Fujimoto Akane said that her mom's resemblance to Kaoru was uncanny while she also possessed eyes like her father's – in Chapter 7) More about that will be explained in the next chapter ^_^ Whew . .it's actually coming to a close now. Well, kind of. I think this has been my longest chapter up to date! =D Yikes! 

Expect things to get really heated up in the next couple of chapters =D Oh yes, I think this story will end close to chapter 30 or something like that. ^_^ And then I'll probably start on a new fic. I'm not sure about the Kaoru/Kenshin and Yumi/Shishio story because it seems to be a bit more difficult to write than I first thought it would be. =(

So I was thinking of doing an alternate pairing one. I think I'm going to experiment with an Aoshi/Kaoru fic. Hehehe .. ^_^ Since there are not that many and reading "Mismatched" by Yuki-dono has made me think that the Aoshi/Kaoru thing would be quite adorable. Oh yes, also check out "My Little Princess" for some Aoshi/Kaoru waff. ^_^ 

Side Note:

I wrote this while listening to the soundtrack of Cirque du Soleil's "Varekai" (French for "wherever") Absolutely loved it!

_Reader Reviews:_

**RC** – Hehe .. the man was Higurashi !Now some serious revelations are going to be made.  Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! 

**Kitty12perfecto** – Sorry it took so long for the chapter to come out. =( Hope you enjoyed it nevertheless. 

**Catrina3** – You were right! It was Kaoru's dad ^_^ .. hehe .. haha yeah Kaoru has that ability to make people like her. =D 

**Ryoga** – Thanks for the kind reviews.

**Junebug** – Aww thanks

**Blazes purple fire** – Hi! Yes, that's a good suggestion. I think I'll do that. An alternate ending for this fic. Hmm .. but it'll be a very sad ending for Kenshin though. Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter =)

**Saotome** – That was a hilarious comment. Loved it. Might use it for a disclaimer. Hehehehehehe

**^_^ **- Yes, it was her father! =D No, they haven't met before at least not face to face with introductions. He may have .. but that would be told later. One reason that Higurashi Miroku would recognize her would be because she looks exactly like her mother and she had blue eyes.

**Ame Kurayami** – Hehe .. I hope you liked reading this chapter.

**Ken-ni** – Wow, thanks for all your reviews. They were nice to read. ^_^ Hehe .. 

**Poppy2** – Yes, a lot of things are going to change cuz Higurashi is in the picture now. Yay! =D

**The sacred night** – I love Saitou's character also. Hehe . . it's funny, when I first saw the scene with him and Kenshin fighting, I didn't like him. But as the series went on, I started to like him more and more. It's especially fun to write about him. =)

**Uenki** – Hi! Thanks for continuing to read this fic after so long ^_^ I'm really happy you're enjoying it. 

**Genkigirl** – Thanks

**Kyozgirl** – hehe .. hope you liked this chapter! I wish I could update sooner for you guys! But I don't want to upload the chapter when I don't very much like it and make you guys read stuff that I myself don't think is very good.

**Kenshinfan** – hihi! I'm glad you and you alteregos enjoy it. Ana, expect some blood and gore in later chapters ^_~

**Boomerang-chan** – Hmm .. Enishi .. I love him!!!! Nope, it wasn't enishi, but Higurashi. ^_^ Hehehe …. Hmm . .Enishi

**Devotd-inu-fan** – Hehe . I'm glad you like it! Kaoru and Kenshin will find one another soon =D Expect it to be a rather dramatic scene. Hehehehehehehehehe .. 

**Kagome-sits-inuyasha** – Hi Tracey. I'm glad you liked the chapter and the teaser =) Hehehe. . I thought it was a breather lol .. 

**Doris** – Hi hi! I'm glad you liked the chapter. Nope, the guy on the tree wasn't Kenshin, but Higurashi. Kenshin and Kaoru's meeting will be much more dramatic than that.

**MissBehavin** – Aww. Thanks for your comments! I was reading through your fanfic today and I think that they're absolutely wonderful to read. I've put you on my favorite authors list. ^_^


	26. Unfolding Higurashi's Past

**Disclaimer**: **Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony. I'm just borrowing the characters for this story.**

**Author's Notes:**

_My birthday is this upcoming Sunday ^_^ Sigh .. _

The reason why I named my character Higurashi Miroku:                  

The name "Miroku" is derived from the name "Maitreya" who is the fifth Buddha. In recent times, Maitreya has been portrayed as a fat, happy Buddha whom you make a wish on while you rub his tummy. This is not true because as seen from history, the maitreya Buddha is actually tall, thin, and muscular. The similarity between Miroku and the Maitreya Buddha is that for one, Miroku is a Buddhist monk. He is also selfless, patient, and level-headed. He is also quite wise when it comes down to making hard decisions. You'll see more of these characteristics as the story goes on. I got the idea to name him Miroku because I was thinking of the Miroku from "Inuyasha" as many of you have already guessed. ^_^

**Special Thanks to: Hakaita **for adding me to your Favorite Authors List! =D Thanks .. sniff sniff .. ^_^

**WARNING**: A lot of violence in this chapter. 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 24**

Kaoru's long raven-black hair was in disarray as she tossed and turned in her sleep. She was having nightmares that night once again. The monk looked in on her figure with watery eyes and walked into the room. He set down his Buddhist staff and crouched next to her sleeping figure. He rested a hand on top of her forehead, which at the moment was laced with beads of sweat. As his the coolness of his hand touched her forehead, Kaoru instantly calmed down and she started to breathe normally. A small smile crept up on her lips subconsciously.

The monk watched her sleeping visage with a wistful look. _If only I could stay with you longer like this, my dear Kaoru-chan_. His robes felt like a weight and left him rooted on the ground for a while longer. This would be the third time that he was leaving her side. A lone tear slipped from his own blue eyes as he slowly got up. He took his staff and walked out of the room. The man took one last glance at the girl before he closed the door.

He turned around back towards the hall and his eyes widened in shock at the figure that blocked his exit.

"You have a lot of things to explain, Higurashi-san," Soujiro exclaimed with piercing, narrowed eyes.

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Miroku stepped back wide-eyed.  The intensity of the boy's eyes made his throat dry and his hands sweat. "S-Soujiro-san," the monk stammered.

It was then that they heard a gasp behind the door. The monk and the boy's faces instantly paled. _Did she hear everything?_, they thought. Miroku, who was standing nearest to the door, gently opened it to the dark and silent room. The two figures walked in and found her.

She was kneeling on the floor beside the door. Her sapphire blue orbs were held wide open in shock, her right hand still over her gaping mouth, her black hair was strewn about messily, and her form was absolutely still. No movements at all. Soujiro was instantly worried and quickly came over to her side, kneeling beside her prone figure. He shook her.

"Kao-chan? Kao-chan?" he called out urgently in a worried tone. 

No response.

A single tear fell from her eye. 

Miroku, heart-stricken at seeing his daughter in such pain, rushed over to her side. "I'm sorry . . . so sorry. I didn't mean to deceive you like this. It's just that . . . that I didn't want to hurt you by allowing myself to stay here. If I were to stay with you, they would target you. I didn't want you to be in harm's way." 

Kaoru's mind instantly clicked. _Why do his words sound so eerily familiar. Where have I heard it before?_, Kaoru thought. She took her hand from her mouth and slowly put it over the monk's cool hand and squeezed it. 

"Please . . please tell me why they are after you? What are you to me?" Kaoru asked with her eyes directed to the man's blue eyes.

The monk's eyes softened. "It's a very long and very painful story."

"I need to hear it," Kaoru stated firmly.

Miroku's eyes cautiously looked over at her determined visage and decided that he would have to tell her. There would be no other way. He looked over at Soujiro who was kneeling across from him. 

"Yes, please explain Higurashi-san," the boy exclaimed.

The monk nodded his head meekly as he adjusted himself to sit in a more comfortable position. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before he began to speak. "I used to be a part of the Shinsengumi before the Boshin war began. I worked under Fujimoto Akane and under him, I was given orders to kill any of those people who were suspected of treason or any other wrongs. 

Our motto was simple: Aku. Soku. Zan.

However . . I started to question those ideals when I met a girl. It all started when . . ."

_Flashback to the Past – 20 years ago, Miroku Age 22_

_Pre-Bakumatsu War_

_A thin, muscular man sprinted through the darkness of the night with a katana clutched tightly in his hand. His black hair was tied back in a high ponytail. He crept in the shadows, waiting for his prey to be seen. His icy blue eyes narrowed in a feral glare as he found his target._

_Another man wearing an off-white gi and hakama came out of the house and stretched. He bent down to pick up a wooden bucket and walked over to the stone well not so far from his house to fetch some water._

_The man in the shadows followed his movements and silently crept up behind the unsuspecting victim. He silently unsheathed his katana and held it above his head._

_SLASH_

_Blood splattered everywhere on the dirt ground. The shadowed man flicked the katana of the crimson red blood that stained it. He turned around and it was then that he saw her._

_A girl about six years old._

_Her eyes were wide with fear. Her small frame had begun to shake uncontrollably. Her mouth was open in a silent scream. And her skin, her skin became drained of all blood, pale at the sight before her young innocent eyes. Her father had just been killed right in front of her. The girl's eyes began to well up with tears of grief._

_"Otousan! Otousan!" she screamed as she ran over to the bloodied man that lay on the ground. The assassin was shocked and he could not move from the depressing scene._

_"Why?!?!?! Why did you have to kill papa?!?!" the little girl screamed at the assassin, her hands and face were covered with blood from the corpse. "I didn't have anyone left! Papa was a good man! He didn't deserve to die! He made lots of people happy!" she continued with her eyes glazed over in confusion, anger, and sadness. "Why!?!" The tears continuously streamed down her petite face._

_The shadowed man was rooted in place by guilt. Seeing her made him think of his wife who was at home taking care of his newborn baby boy. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the poisoned dart that whizzed by his ear. By the time he noticed it, it was already too late. _

_The little girl's body slumped over her dad's red corpse, the dart firmly embedded on the left side of her neck._

_The assassin turned around quickly on his heel to see another man walk out of the shadows. He had a tall physique, dark black hair, and brown eyes that were narrowed into slits._

_It was Fujimoto Akane. The man's eyes narrowed in hate and disgust at the man's presence._

_"Why did you have to kill her?"_

_"She saw everything," he simply replied with a smirk. "Plus, she's probably in a happier place now with her father."_

_"How could you do such a thing," the man seethed, anger rolling off his body like waves._

_"If I did not kill her now, she could turn on us when she grows older. This is the only way to ensure that we will not have any betrayers in the future, Higurashi" Fujimoto replied. "You're done here, let's go." He turned on his heel and began walking back. His voice and eyes showed no sense of guilt for what heinous crime he had just committed._

_"There has to be another way," Miroku muttered underneath his breath as he watched the other man return back to their headquarters. Miroku took another glance at the two dead bodies and his heart wrenched in pain. He began to question the ideals of the group he had been working with for the past six years. The people he had targeted were names given to him by the upper officers. And what if the ideals that he wanted to uphold in this era were not those ideals that he believed in? He thought back to Fujimoto's nonchalant attitude in disgust. How could he follow someone who had so little regard in killing innocent children?_

_His eyes watered up as he walked over to the two bodies. He kneeled down and said a prayer for the both of them. He put his hands over the girl's eyes, which were still wide open, and closed them for her. As he got up and started to walk back home, his cheeks were wet with tears._

_End Flashback_

Miroku took a breath after telling them the entire story. His heart still clenched fiercely when he remembered the sadness that reverberated from the little girl's eyes. Those eyes had haunted him for the past twenty years. _Doushite?_, he thought sadly. _Why did she have to die so young? _Kaoru and Soujiro watched as Miroku remained silent. They could tell how much re-telling the story had pained him. The muscles in his jaw had tightened when he mentioned Fujimoto Akane's name.

Out of sympathy for him, Kaoru squeezed Miroku's hand and silently asked him to continue. The monk let his blue eyes rest on her face for a while before continuing.

"It was then that I began to question the ideals of the shogunate and how far I would go to appease them. I didn't want my children to grow up in this kind of world where there was no sure sense of justice. The term 'justice' didn't apply to this government's rule. Who was wrong, who was right. It was all up to the Shinsengumi to declare that. I didn't believe in it anymore. It was then that I had found about the now ever growing faction against the government called the Ishin Shishi," he paused and took a breath before he began again.

"I became a spy for the Ishin Shishi. I allied myself with them, but I stayed within the ranks of the Shinsengumi and was still part of Fujimoto Akane's group of assassins. I betrayed the shogunate by informing the Ishin Shishi whom we were going to attack. That way the person who was our target would be able to escape certain death. For about one and a half years, I was able to do so without getting myself caught. And within those years, I had been able to revert some followers of the Shinsengumi into the Ishin Shishi.

As time went on, the captains had discovered that there have been people within their group who were betraying them. I knew that it would not be long until Fujimoto, Saitou, Okita, or any other higher number of captains found out. They had already found a number of people, some of who had reverted to Ishin Shishi because of me, and had killed them mercilessly along with their family and friends. They made those who were labeled as traitors perform seppuku in front of all of us.  My wife at the time was about to give birth to another child. I could not let such a fate happen to my family. I had to get out before it was too late.

Of course . . . . things weren't that simple.

One night, I had found out that one of the Shinsengumi assassins had found out the whereabouts of a man named, Katsura Kogoro. At the time, he was a rising leader of the Ishin Shishi. Losing him at a crucial time like that would have surely caused some chaos within that group. I decided then that I would need to warn him.

It would be the last thing I would do for the Ishin Shishi before escaping Japan with my family.

It was that night that I had lost everything most precious to me."

Miroku paused. The silence within the room was almost deafening. His palms had become sweaty while he was telling them about his past. For the past eight years at the temple, the man had been trying to find peace. But of course, peace would not come to a person with such a troubled past so easily. He tried to block out the demons while meditating, but it would only work for so long before his demons came back to haunt him again.

And those child's accusing eyes.

They have been with him ever since that horrid day. Every time he would close his eyes, he would see her. Those brown eyes laden with sadness, confusion, and fear. Miroku had blamed himself for the child's death. If only he had seen the dart coming. If only he had not killed the father, the both of them would have been alive. If only he had realized sooner that there were other ways other than killing. If only . . if only . .

Kaoru sat on the ground digesting all the information that he just gave to them. Her eyes were focused on the ground beneath her as she was lost in thought. _No wonder Fujimoto Akane wants Higurashi-san so badly. He had deceived the man for so long without him knowing until the very end. He must want to kill Higurashi-san because that way he would have his revenge for what happened back then. _At that moment the girl looked up at the monk's hunched form and her heart instantly went out to him. His pain was almost palpable. She scooted herself closer to him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

Miroku's head lifted up a little as he turned his eyes towards her. 

"I know this is hard for you, but telling us may take a little weight off your chest," she said softly.

The man's eyes softened. His daughter reminded him so much of his wife. He took another deep breath as he nodded and tilted his head back to look up at the ceiling before beginning once again.

"Kaoru-chan," he began.

"Hai?" the girl responded in a curious tone. It was the first time the monk had called her with such an endearing term. Even though he was technically still a stranger to her, she liked the sound of it coming out of his mouth.

The man turned to face her once more. His blue eyes penetrated her own as he spoke. She felt her throat tighten and become dry as she awaited for him to start. "This story that I will tell you will hurt," he stated bluntly. His eyes closed in concentration as he thought of where he would begin.

Kaoru's heart quickened, but she nodded her head urging him to continue. Soujiro took a hold of Kaoru's hand and held it to brace her for what Higurashi was about to say.

The monk took another deep breath as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked straight into the girl's eyes with care. 

"Kaoru . . . . I am your father."

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks I would appreciate it a lot! =D It's really a positive motivator when I hear responses from readers. Oh yeah, I know you guys already know that Higurashi is her father, but Kaoru wasn't sure of it especially since she remembers growing up with her father, Kamiya Koshijiro and his wife.

Anyway, I was looking through the chapter and lol .. I could write an entire story on the background of Higurashi Miroku. Hehe . .but no, I think I've covered some of the more crucial parts of his life in this chapter. Here is some historical information relating to the Shinsengumi that could be useful in understanding Higurashi's background better.

The Shinsen-gumi were an elite yet rag-tag group of low-class samurai sponsored by the Aizu Han, who supported them and provided them with funds. Only the captains are given any screen time in RK so here they are: Kondou Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi, Saitou Hajime, Takeda Kanryuusai, and Harada Sanosuke. Their motto was, "Aku. Soku. Zan." Kill. Evil. Instantly or Sin. Swift. Slay. "Although the Shinsen Gumi acted on their own brutal will, the Bakufu Alliance supported their actions. Loved by the Bakufu and hated by the Ishin Shishi, they were a vigilante force that patrolled the streets of Kyoto, cutting down anyone thought to be suspicious. They were a major cause for blood spilling in Kyoto every day. The rivers an streams that flowed through Kyoto were always red from blood."

Usually the traitors of the Shinsengumi were made to perform seppuku. Seppuku is the process in which the person splits his own bowels. Sometimes after doing so, another Shinsengumi member will come and behead him. This was usually done in front of a group of other members in order to set an example for them. (Sigh .. how cruel!)

Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far! Hehe . .I came out with this chapter much faster ^_^ I hope you guys enjoyed it. 


	27. Treading on Ends

Disclaimer: I don't own RK .. but I wish I did .. like all other RK fans .. hehe 

**Author's Notes** : 

First of all, I apologize to everyone for taking so long in updating this chapter. =( 

Second of all, some reviewers brought up good points about my last chapter. I didn't want Higurashi's story to come off sounding too one-sided. Karen brought up that [the Shinsengumi], ". . .were ruthless and practiced the Samurai teachings of Bushido, honor before life, never run away from a battle, deserters will be executed, etc, but they were no more, and no less, ruthless or dangerous then the Ishin Shishi." That is completely true. Yes, they had certain ideals and followed them.

In this fic, however, Higurashi Miroku worked underneath one of the Shinsengumi leaders, Fujimoto Akane, and Fujimoto (unlike Saitou or Okita ) had his own twisted motives and selfish reasons for being in the group. The man craved power and was very corrupt. Fujimoto abused his power (killed people without giving them any chance for forgiveness or explanations, ie killing the little girl without any sign of regret). When Higurashi realized what kind of person he was working under and how the corrupt the government officals were, he decided that he wanted to change things so he joined the Ishin to fight for a peaceful era. 

I hope what I wrote made sense. =)

**WARNING : **Violence and bad language in this chapter.

**Off topic note: **For those Kenshin fans who have not yet seen "Naruto". OMG, you guys should check it out! It's a great series! =D 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 25**

"Kaoru-chan," he began.

"Hai?" the girl responded in a curious tone. It was the first time the monk had called her with such an endearing term. Even though he was technically still a stranger to her, she liked the sound of it coming out of his mouth.

The man turned to face her once more. His blue eyes penetrated her own as he spoke. She felt her throat tighten and become dry as she awaited for him to start. "This story that I will tell you will hurt," he stated bluntly. His eyes closed in concentration as he thought of where he would begin.

Kaoru's heart quickened, but she nodded her head urging him to continue. Soujiro took a hold of Kaoru's hand and held it to brace her for what Higurashi was about to say.

The monk took another deep breath as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked straight into the girl's eyes with care. 

"Kaoru . . . . I am your father."

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Kaoru's sapphire orbs widened in shock and disbelief. She subconsciously clenched her hand tightly around Soujiro's hand when she heard him confess. _Her father? But.. but how was that possible_, she thought. _Her father was Kamiya Koshijirou. Why would this man in front of her lie to her?_ She shook her head uncontrollably and her raven-black hair was thrown into a mess.

"No! It's not true! How could you be?" she stated looking him straight in the eye.

Miroku looked at her solemnly. He hadn't wanted to break the news to her at a time like this. He hadn't wanted her to be involved in his past. That was the reason he had let her go in the first place. That was the reason why he had left her. The monk looked at her and said, "Kaoru . . . it . . . it's true. I am your father."

The girl looked him straight in the eye and studied him. His eyes did not flinch. His movements were still calm and his breathing had remained normal. _He's not lying_, she thought in slight fear. "Demo! Demo .. how can that be! My father was Kamiya Koshijirou! My father taught me Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. He died on duty during the Seinan War. He's not you!!!!! You can't be my father! You can't .. you can't . .  .you can't be," she repeated with her hands clasped around her head. She had started to get a throbbing headache with his last couple of words. _No_, she muttered. _It's not possible_. _If it is . . if it is . ._

Miroku's eyes widened in surprise and sadness when he heard Kamiya Koshijirou's name. He had lost all contact with him ever since that day. _That day_, he thought in sadness. He had not known that his old friend had died on the field during the Seinan War. _Kaoru-chan .. that means, _he paused in thought as he took a steady look at the raven-haired girl who had grown so much, _you were all alone_.

Soujiro looked at the girl beside him and then glanced at the monk's image. His eyes narrowed. He didn't like seeing her in pain like this.  He unconsciously clenched his fists tightly when he saw some wetness forming on the top of Kaoru's cheeks. The boy felt like he needed to protect her.

"Higurashi-san . . ." 

Miroku looked up towards the boy and felt his heated ki. It seemed somewhat familiar to him. He shook the feeling off as he noticed the icy cold glare the boy held in his eyes. He swallowed hard as his throat suddenly went dry.

"Nani, Seta-san?"

"How are you Kaoru-chan's father? What exactly happened that day?" Soujiro asked in a voice laced with daggers.

Miroku nodded in understanding. He drew in his breath with much difficulty as he began to tell the rest of his tragedy. Kaoru's mind cleared as her ears became attuned to the monk's voice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Yahiko let out a large sigh. Kenshin, Sanosuke, and he had been patrolling the area where Kaoru was last seen for the past couple of days. The sun beat down on their sweat-laden backs and their clothes stuck to their bare skin. The young boy wiped some sweat from off of his brow. _How much longer until we find you, Kaoru?_, he thought. He dug his sandals deep into the earth and kicked it up. The particles of sand blew into the wind. Yahiko's eyes darkened.

"Himura!! Hey Himura!!"

The three heads quickly shot towards the direction of the voice.

A short girl with pigtails was waving at them while she bounced towards the group alongside a taller, more stoic man. Seeing that the girl was so joyful, Yahiko assumed that they had found some information about his sensei's whereabouts.

"Did you find any information on Kaoru?" Yahiko blurted out.

Misao's demeanor quieted down as she looked on the ground. She shook her head 'no' slowly. The young boy's excitement drooped at her negative response. "Oh," he said as he looked down on the ground. _I was so sure that Misao and Aoshi would have gotten information about her. Did they not find any information about Higurashi Miroku either?_

Kenshin looked at the newly arrived couple with an inscrutable expression donned on his visage.  In the past few months, the man's amethyst eyes had lost that sparkle to them. His cheeks had grown a bit hollow since they had first seen him and his red hair, the ends were in knots and the once brilliant color had become dull. Dust and dirt had caked onto his skin and clothes. Kenshin looked like an entirely different man than he once was before Kaoru had disappeared.

"Misao-dono, Aoshi," he addressed the two, "did you find any information regarding Higurashi-dono?" He paused and then added in a meek voice, "or .. or .. Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin dropped his head at speaking her name and his fiery red bangs hid his lavender eyes.

_Even his voice, _Misao thought, _has become dull and emotionless. _

"No," Aoshi responded.

Sanosuke strut over to the group and laced his hands around Aoshi's dark blue gi. He pulled it threateningly towards him. "What do you mean 'no'? I thought you Oniwabanshu could get any information you wanted? How come you can't find the measly guy? He's a goddamn monk for goddamn sakes! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF NINJAS ARE YOU?" 

Aoshi narrowed his eyes as he spoke calmly. "Sagara, remove your hands from my shirt. There's no reason to resort to violent means. "

Misao jumped up in between them as she put her hands over Sanosuke's hand in an attempt to pry him off Aoshi. "Let go of Aoshi-sama, baka roosterhead!"

The ex-street fighter smirked as his grip loosened. "Feh. You guys were gone for two weeks, you should have gathered some information about Jou-chan or that Higurashi guy _at the least_. Che! I think maybe you guys aren't taking this seriously." 

"Sano . . ." Kenshin warned from the side.

Sanosuke released the other man and Misao's eyes narrowed at the streetfighter's accusations and her face became red with anger. The girl also dearly wanted to find out where Kaoru was located, but they were not able to come up with any useful information in those past two weeks. What Sano had said hurt her and seemed like a blow to their friendship. _I want to find Kaoru-san, too. I miss her, _she thought. She was about to spout off on him when Aoshi stopped her with an outstretched hand. He too was getting annoyed with Sanosuke's unprecedented remarks about the Oniwabanshu. 

"Kamiya would never have gone missing if someone was using his head that night she was taken," Aoshi retorted in a monotone voice, his statement directed at Sanosuke.

Everyone became silent at Aoshi's stunned remark.

Sanosuke turned his back on the group and clenched his fight tightly as he muttered "chikuso" over and over again. His eyebrows furrowed in disgust towards himself as he dropped down onto the his knees and pounded on the dirt below him with his fist. _Damn it! I know that! If only I were stronger and had used my brain instead of just my fists at that time. Jou-chan. We wouldn't even be in this mess, _he thought. His back shook with anger at himself for not being able to protect her that night. The guilt that he had felt since she disappeared ate at him constantly. _If anything happens to you, Jou-chan .. I will never forgive myself._

- - - - -  - - -  - - - - -  - - - - -  - - - - - - - -- - - - -  - - - - - - - - 

_"It was that night that I had lost everything," _The monk's phrase replayed over and over again in Kaoru's head. _What did he mean?   
  
_

The monk took a deepened breath as he began to tell the rest of his story.

"As you know, I had found out that Fujimoto learned about Katsura's location and he was going to have him assassinated that night. I just couldn't let that happen. I told myself that this would be the last mission that I would do for the Ishin Shishi before my family and I would escape Japan."

"What happened that night?" Kaoru asked with a small waver in her voice. 

"That night, Kaoru" Miroku started as he looked at her teary-eyed, "I gave up more for the Ishin Shishi cause than I ever thought I would. 

I gave up my family."

Kaoru sucked in her breath as Soujiro continued to let his unwandering gaze stay on Miroku's visage. _Is he telling the truth?_, he thought to himself. But at seeing how the man's ki remained clear, Soujiro believed that the man was not lying. (A/N: This is some fictional part added for the sake of the story: If a person's ki remains clear, he is telling the truth. If it a little darkened or muddled, then that man is lying.)

Miroku continued, "The mission started off as any other mission I've gone on as an internal spy. I would go report to one of the underground Ishin men in the streets that would inform Katsura that he was a target of the Shinsengumi that night. However, what I did not know was that Fujimoto had begun to take notice of my short absences and became suspicious of them. He sent another one of the Shinsengumi to follow me when I had left. By the time I came back, I realized that they had known what I was up to and with whom my loyalties lay." 

_Flashback to that day_

A man donned in a blue and white Shinsengumi uniform walked confidently back to the headquarters, his hair was tied back in a high ponytail and his katana laced to his side. He had a content smile on his face as he let his mind drift off to the thoughts of his family and him living without worries. Maybe they could go to China, he thought.  His blue eyes narrowed when he noticed another figure that was walking towards him with a tense visage. The man continued to walk unwaveringly as he passed the other man.

_"They know . .." the man said in a voice barely above a whisper._

_Miroku's eyes widened in shock and he quickly tried to return to his normal demeanor before approaching home. His pace quickened and his hair sloshed from side to side. Tiny beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. "Kami-sama, please don't let it be too late", he prayed silently in his head. _

_His heart stopped as he arrived at the foot of the door to his home. Something was wrong. It was too quiet. He collected his senses as he calmly walked through the door._

_"Tadaima," he called out casually._

_No reply._

_"Tadaima," he repeated, this time in a louder voice._

_Still no reply._

_He sucked in his breath as he advanced further into the confines of his home. He took precautioned steps as he neared the bedroom. "Anata?" he asked in a soft voice as he slid open the shoji door._

_His breath caught in his throat as he saw what lay before him and the fragile images that he was daydreaming earlier that evening shattered into broken pieces. _

-

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks so much! I really appreciate the comments that you guys make. ^_^ Here are some notes about the chapter:

1.) Higurashi Miroku had notified the Ishin Shishi that he wanted to stop working as a spy for them and wanted to leave the country. The group had agreed as long as he did not reveal his identity to the Shinsengumi.

I wrote this while listening to "Eyes on Me- FF8" and "Wind-Akeboshi".

_Reader Responses:_

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**Blazes purple fire** – Hi !! Sorry about not leaving comments on the last chapter. I didn't have time to reply to them. I just wanted to post up that chapter as soon as possible. ^_^hehe. 

Oh yes, btw you mentioned what Kaoru's mother looked like – you'll find out in the next installment. ^_^ Keke .. and yes, Saitou will end up meeting Higurashi Miroku later on in the story. Hmm .. I too wonder how he will react. Lol .. actually I already have an outline for that particular part. 

And Happy belated _belated_ birthday! =D hehe .. 

Yes, I'm thinking of doing an alternate ending for this fic. But more than likely is that I will do a completely different story revolving around Soujiro/Kaoru. =D 

**Jessie** -  Thanks for all the emails that you have sent me. Sorry it took so long to update this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter! =D =D

**Kenshinfan** – Arigato for the comments. Lol . .I hope I satiated anna's desire for violence in the earlier chapter. Though, there will be a lot more violence and drama in the next couple of chapters. =x .. aiyee. This story is taking so long. Lol ..

**Chibifrog** – Thnx

**Anna **– Thanks for the comments and everything.

**Ryoga and saotome** – Haha.  Thanks for the comments guys! =D

**Lily** –Hehe . .I can't believe you read it in the span of 2 days. ^_^ aww thanks . . I'm very flattered that you enjoyed it.  Yeah, Miroku has led a very sad life. Hopefully things will look up for him later in the story. . maybe ..

**Shermaine** – thnx

**Chibilee** – Hehe . wow I'm flattered that you read this through one sitting. ^_^ 

**Wolf ^-^x** – Hehe . . Kenshin and Kaoru will meet up soon .. very soon ..

**Van** – thnx for reviewing all those chapters. ^_^ I'm glad you liked reading this fic.

**Boomerang-chan **– Hi! Hehe .. thanks for reading and reviewing!! =D =D lol .. yeah that last sentence is reminiscent of the Star Wars series .. hehe (in more ways than one .. *wink)

**OniTokage** – Thanks for reviewing! =D Lol .. I got that comment about the Luke's father thing in the other reviews =D hehe .. btw, when are you going to update your story? Sigh .. It's such a great story, I hope you still are continuing it. ^_^

**Devotd-inu-fan** - ^_^ Thanks for wishing me happy bday. I had a nice once, my roomies, sister, and bf went out to this Indian restaurant to have dinner. It was great.  =) I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Kikyosama** – thnx for reviewing.

**Kago2350** – Hi! I'm glad you like my story so far. =D Hope you'll enjoy the rest of it. Sorry it's been taking so long to write the next chapters. =x I had to revise this one a lot of times before deciding it was decent to post on fanfiction.net

**^_^ **- Hi! Yeah, that sentence is reminiscent of Star Wars .. =) You'll see later .. umm .. nm .. I guess you'll find out in the later chapters.

**Missbehavin** – Thanks for your comments. Yeah, I'm planning on Miroku meeting up with Saitou later on in the story. It'll be .. *author clears throat .. quite interesting .. 

**Beriath** – Gomen for taking so long in getting this chapter out =( Hope you still enjoyed it.

**Rc ** - hehe .. oro .. thanks =D

**Fyyrose** – I'm glad the recaps are serving their purpose. ^_^ (especially since I have been taking a long time in updating these chapters. Sorry!) I hope you liked this chapter.

**Karen** – Hi! Thanks for bringing up the point about the Shinsengumi. I hope the above Author's note was able to justify my reasoning for Miroku betraying the group. Also, the thing about Kaoru's dad being Kamiya Koshijirou .. Yes, you're right. He did die in the Seinan War and such. You'll find out exactly what happened in the next chapters. =)

**Hakaita** – Lol .. I love Soujiro too! =D =D sigh .. he's such a cutie.

**Kakashi-fan** – I love Kakashi also =D sigh .I recently got into Naruto and I am in love with it! =D =D Hehe.. um.. yes, expect to see Kenshin and Kaoru meet up in the next few chapters. =D

**Laurika** – Hehe. I'm glad you like this fic so far. =D It will end pretty soon. Sniff sniff.  Hope you enjoy the rest of it.

**Erica** – Thanks for your comments. ^_^ I'm so flattered that you like my stories. ^_^

**Gypsy-chan** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing !!! =d =d . I'm a big fan of your fics. I hope you can update your other K/K fic when you have time. Sigh. It's so good! And thanks for posting my fic on your site! =D =D Arigato gozaimasu.

**Briar** – Hhee.. thanks for the comments. I liked the lil scenario that you acted out there. It was so funny!

**Tennyo no celeste** – hi. Yeah, I'm using pin yin for the Chinese parts. =D I'm glad you're liking the story so far. 

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	28. The End of the Road

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the RK characters.

**WARNING: **A lot of violence in this chapter.

**Author's Notes: **I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!Kenshin and Kaoru will FINALLY meet up in the chapter after this one! =D Yay! I know it's been long awaited. Hehehe .. On another note, I was reading through the beginning chapters to this story and I found them on the bland side. I'll probably revamp the entire fic once I'm finished with it. ^_^ Though I probably won't have time to go through and edit all the chapters until the summer. Sigh.

**Special Thanks to** **Goddess Akiko and Battousai's gal for adding me to your favorite authors' list ! **Thanks so much!!*author brims over with happiness .. 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 26**

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_"They know . .." the man said in a voice barely above a whisper._

_Miroku's eyes widened in shock and he quickly tried to return to his normal demeanor before approaching home. His pace quickened and his hair sloshed from side to side. Tiny beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. "Kami-sama, please don't let it be too late", he prayed silently in his head. _

_His heart stopped as he arrived at the foot of the door to his home. Something was wrong. It was too quiet. He collected his senses as he calmly walked through the door._

_"Tadaima," he called out casually._

_No reply._

_"Tadaima," he repeated, this time in a louder voice._

_Still no reply._

_He sucked in his breath as he advanced further into the confines of his home. He took precautioned steps as he neared the bedroom. "Anata?" he asked in a soft voice as he slid open the shoji door._

_His breath caught in his throat as he saw what lay before him and the fragile images that he was daydreaming earlier that evening shattered into broken pieces. _

- - - - -  - - - - - -  - - - - -  -- - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -

_Continuing Flashback_

The walls were splattered with red blood. The liquid was stuck on the wall and had begun to drip on the floor. Miroku's eyes widened in fear. He looked in the corner and found four bodies piled on top one another. He quickly rushed over there with fear and trepidation in his heart. He slowly turned the body over and his stomach lurched. It was one of his servants that he had under his wing ever since he was a child. Large sword gashes were made across the chest and the back. The warm, thick blood still continued to pour from the open wounds. Tears began to sting his eyes as he turned the other bodies over only to discover that he had brutally slaughtered all of them. COUGH COUGH 

_Miroku's ears perked up at the sound of someone coughing. 'Someone was still alive?' Miroku thought. He quickly scanned the bodies strewn on the floor and found that one person's chest was rising up and down laboriously. He went over to him and squatted next to his side._

_"H - - - Higurashi-san . . " the man started with great difficulty. A thin river of blood started to drip from the corner of his lips as he began to talk._

_Miroku's heart strained at the sight and carefully propped the half-dead man's head on his leg. The man's eyes fluttered as he did so._

_"Y-your wife," he started. Higurashi felt his heart and breathing stop all at once. What happened to his wife? Was she okay? All those questions raced through his mind, all those questions he wanted to ask, but . .but his throat was too dry and he found himself rendered speechless. It was fear. Fear that something had happened to his wife and his children. And that was why Miroku said nothing as he listened to what the man had to say next._

_"S-she took your children. They - - they are hiding in t - - the abandoned Uchiha restau - -"_

_Before the man was able to finish his sentence he spurted up some more thick blood. Miroku felt the man's body convulse and saw the man's brown eyes roll over. He shook his body when he felt the convulsions stop. "Minwoo-san? Minwoo-san?" It was too late, he was already dead. His heart clenched in sadness at the sight. Miroku took a deep breath as he placed a hand over the man's eyes and closed it for him._

_He then took pains to lay the recently deceased bodies out on the floor, one by one, side by side.  He took a breath as his mind cleared._ _Miroku was able to decipher what he said last, "the abandoned Uchiha restaurant."_ '_My wife and children are in hiding. There's still the possibility of Fujimoto finding them. I have to go to them right now!', he thought in urgency. Miroku began to get up from the floor._

WHIZ 

_A kunai flew across the room and lodged itself deep within the middle of Miroku's back. The man's stunned blue eyes widened as he staggered forward. Blood erupted from his mouth as he coughed violently. Another was thrown that was aimed at his leg. Before the other dagger could make contact with his skin, he quickly unsheathed the sword at his side and deflected it. He got up and pulled the kunai from out of his back and blood rushed out. Miroku didn't even flinch. His blue eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as he faced his opponent._

_"I'm sorry Miroku, but I have to do this," the man said. Miroku's eyes widened in surprise as he noticed that it was the same man who had warned him that the Shinsengumi knew about his deceit. _

_Miroku looked sadly upon the man he had called his friend as he loosened his grip on his katana. "You don't have to do this. You can escape Japan with my family and me."_

_The man looked at him with hopelessness in his eyes. "It's not that easy. It'll only be a matter of time before Fujimoto finds your family. I can't take that chance with mine. I'm sorry. I really wish that things didn't have to come down to this." As he finished his last sentence, the man brought his katana up parallel to his arms and charged forward, aiming at Miroku's heart._

_Miroku's eyes narrowed as he hardened his resolve. 'I'm sorry friend, but I have to do this in order to save my family,' he thought as he got into a defensive stance. The tip of the pursuing man's blade clashed against Miroku's own blade._

_"Don't make this harder on me, Miroku."_

_Miroku spun around as the katanas hit. The other man lost his balance as the momentum kept him moving forward._

_"I'm sorry," Miroku said._

_Miroku hardened his grip on his katana as he had a full view of the man's back._

_"I can't"_

_He lunged the sword forward through the man's back._

_"die"_

_He pulled the blade back out_

_"now."_

_ and the man's body slumped to the floor.  _

_Miroku flicked the fresh blood off of his katana as he placed it back into its sheath. He looked upon the new corpse of his friend. 'I'm sorry I had to do this. Please understand.' He said a small prayer as he closed the man's eyes. After doing so, he quickly left his home and ran through the shadows at a furious pace to reach the place where his family was hiding. The wound on his back continued to bleed and he could feel himself getting a little lightheaded from the loss of blood._

_UCHIHA RESTAURANT_

_The sign came into view and Miroku breathed a faint sigh of relief. He quickly rushed inside the dilapidated building via one of the broken windows. He tiptoed once he was inside. He heard a wooden floorboard creak from somewhere farther inside. He followed the sound. As he opened the door, he found a blade pointed straight at him._

_'No ..'_

_"Anata !!!" a familiar voice exclaimed loudly. Miroku's eyes instantly shot open. There next to the man holding the blade was his beloved wife. Her gray eyes were shining with happiness and her ebony black hair was thrown messily into a bun. In her arms was their beloved baby daughter whose eyes were a sapphire blue similar to her father's. Miroku's heart leapt with joy. _

_"'Tousan!" a voice called out._

_Miroku spun behind him and found his son running towards him and hugging his leg. The boy had finally grown to the length above his knee. He remembered how proud he was when his boy had started to walk. "Aa . . Ryo-chan."_

_"I missed you, tou-san. Where you go?" the boy asked._

_Miroku squatted down in front of his son and a smile brightened up his face. "Tou-san had some business to attend  . . ." Before he was able to finish his sentence, he heard his wife gasp and her footsteps that quickly drew near him. _

_"Miroku! What  . . what happened to you? You . . your back . .it's bleeding!" she said. Tears threatened to come out of her eyes as she placed a warm hand over his wound, she tried to apply pressure on it so that it would stop bleeding. The man turned around and smiled. He missed his family so much. For a second, he had thought .. had thought .. that they had been taken away from him. Miroku pulled his wife into a deep embrace._

_"Anata . .anata .. I thought I had lost you."_

_The woman allowed a small smile to grace her features at her husband's heartfelt words. A small tear dripped down onto her cheek. Miroku wiped it away gently with his finger._

_"Sshh .. everything will be alright," he said comfortingly into his wife's ear._

_"Higurashi-san," Another voice came from within the room. Miroku looked up and saw his bodyguard and good friend, Kamiya Koshijirou._

_"Kamiya-san! I'm so glad you are here," he said with a bright smile._

_Kamiya smiled and nodded. "Kamiya-san was the one that brought me to this hideout. He protected the three of us from harm along the way," his wife said._

_Miroku smiled once more as he looked upon his friend gratefully. "I . . I don't know how to thank you," he began. He looked over at his family members: his wife, son, and baby daughter with watery eyes. "You saved the people most dear to me . . for that . . for that I don't know how I can repay you."_

_Koshijirou smiled and replied lightheartedly, "What are friends for?" _

_Miroku's lip twitched into a large smile and gave a hearty laugh.  He pulled his son and his wife closer towards him and breathed in the contentment he felt at that moment._

_It was a shame that his happiness would be short-lived._

_CRASH_

_Everyone jumped up out of his and her skins at the loud noise. The little boy started shaking as he held on to his father's leg. The woman's eyes began darting back and forth. His daughter had woken up from her peaceful nap and had started to cry. Miroku felt his chest tighten with fear and started to feel desperate. How was he going to protect everyone? How would he protect his two kids? He quickly made his way to the door._

_Higurashi and Kamiya quickly looked outside. _

_Things did not look good for them._

_Fujimoto had found out where they were hidden and brought along twenty or so Shinsengumi underlings with him to bring Higurashi and his family back. He looked back at his wife and two children. There was only one thing to do. He could at least try to save them. He put a hand on Kamiya's shoulder. The brown-eyed man looked at him. He already knew what he was going to ask of him._

_"Kamiya, take my daughter. Take her and lead my wife and son to safety. If you go now, they won't see you. I'll take care of the rest," Miroku said gravely. His blue eyes narrowed in determination._

_He quickly went towards his wife who had started shaking with fear and sadness. Their daughter started crying. "Ssh Kaoru-chan .." Higurashi's wife held their daughter tightly in her arms and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She knew that she had to do this for the good of her daughter. Tears fell from her gray eyes. She handed her baby diligently to Kamiya Koshijirou. "Please take care of her, Kamiya-san. Raise her .. raise her .. as your own," she said brokenly. She knew that was the last time she would be able to hold her daughter. "I love you, Kaoru-chan. Be good . . for your mom and dad." She gave her daughter one last kiss on the cheek. Kaoru stopped crying at that moment and became quiet as if she knew what was going on. The woman then broken-heartedly passed her baby into the awaiting's man's arms. _

_Kamiya enveloped the baby and bowed towards them. He would not disappoint them. He had always wanted a child to call his own and was heartbroken when he learned that his own wife could not bear children. He took the small bundle and waited for Miroku's wife and son to follow._

_Miroku turned towards his wife. "Follow him and take Ryo-chan with you, Kamiya will lead you out safely. Leave the rest to me," he said. _

_"I . . I can't leave you Miroku!!" the wife said in a voice mixed with sadness and anguish. She grasped onto the collar of his shirt and didn't want to let go._

_Miroku gave her one last hug and kissed her fully on the lips. Tears fell down from her eyes as she felt the warmth leave her the next minute. "Please anata . . for the good of our son. I'll find you. I promise we'll meet again," the husband said with determination. His wife nodded her head as she obeyed. She went over to her son and grabbed his small hand. The father embraced his son before the wife pulled him away._

_"Let's go," she said._

_Kamiya nodded his head. Miroku watched as the three made their way from the area. His wife looked back at him once more and mouthed the words, 'I love you.' _

_That was the last he saw of her._

_- - - - -  - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - -  - - - -  - - - -  - - - - - - - - _

"After that, Fujimoto's men came in and attacked. I was only able to fend off ten or so before I became too exhausted and weakened by their attacks. I barely escaped with my life that time.

I ran out of the building and went into hiding. After hiding for two weeks, I came back out to search for my wife and son. It was then that I found out . . I found out . . ." His forehead wrinkled as he struggled to say the rest of the sentence,

Miroku stopped speaking as his breathing became erratic and a tear fell from his eyes. His sudden silence became deafening in the room.  Kaoru unconsciously clutched her fists as she listened. His story .. it made her insides twist and turn in pain. 

Soujiro sat there quietly alongside his companion as he listened. He didn't know what was going on inside him. Listening to this man's story made him feel . . it made him feel . . . 

Compassion and sadness.

And he didn't know what to make of those feelings. He looked back up at the man in front of him and at that moment, felt some sort of connection to him. Maybe it was because the pain that the man had gone through in his life was similar to his own. 

Miroku struggled to finish his sentence. The girl placed a hand on top of his. He looked up at her and her eyes gave him the courage to finish.

"I found out that . . that . . . that my wife and son were killed. I tried to look for them . . and found out that their bodies had become ashes along with the house that they were residing in at the time. I was only able to find this," Miroku dug into sleeve and pulled out a tarnished gold hair ornament with a pearl hanging at the end. "It was the only thing left of my wife." 

Kaoru's eyes began to water. Miroku noticed this and brushed the tear away with his thumb gently. He left his hands on her cheek and caressed it as he said, "That is why . . Kaoru-chan . . why I must not allow myself to stay with you any longer." He pulled his hand away and Kaoru found that she missed the warmth that his hand had given her.  Miroku had a faraway look his face as he explained. " It's too much of a risk for me to stay especially since Fujimoto is on his way to China as of now." 

Kaoru gasped when she heard him mention this news. Soujiro's eyes narrowed and instinctively placed a steady hand on Kaoru's shoulder. 

Miroku continued, "When the monks informed me about what had happened in Japan, I left the temple I had been residing in and made preparations to wander once again. I didn't want him to find me." He paused and looked at Kaoru with a serious expression on his face.

I can't have him find you" 

He nodded at the both of them signaling his readiness for departure and then began to get up. The other two sat there sullenly. He looked wistfully at his daughter one last time before he made his way to the door. As he began to walk, he remembered the last time he had seen her. 

The last time he had walked away from her. 

_Flashback_

_10 Years Ago_

_An unshaven man dressed in torn and dirt-laden robes wandered the streets of Tokyo, he stopped abruptly at seeing the sign in front of him._

_ Kamiya Dojo. _

_His heart began to beat faster as he instantly recognized the surname._

_"Tousan! 'tousan!" a little girl yelled from within the grounds. The calling grew louder as the raven-haired girl started to run towards the gate._

_Miroku acted quickly by running behind some crates to hide from the girl. He took a peek from behind the wooden boxes and he saw her. His heart grew elated at seeing how his little baby had grown since he had seen her last. Already her face began to show traces of his wife's beautiful face. He smiled tenderly at the memory. _

_The man's eyes crinkled into a smile as he noticed that the little girl was holding a small kendo stick. The little girl waved it around as she continued to call out for her father. Miroku heard heavy footsteps approach the gate._

_"'Tousan!!" the girl welcomed as her bright blue eyes grew wide with excitement at seeing her father once more._

_"Kaoru-chan! What are you doing out here in the front of the gates? Shouldn't you be inside practicing with the other student?" he scolded lightly, while trying his best to hide the smile that began to don his visage._

_"Mou! Those boys won't let me practice with them. They say I'm too weak because I'm a girl!" she exclaimed with distress. Kaoru crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot on the ground as she gave a 'humph' to emphasize her state of anger. From behind the boxes, Miroku chuckled softly to himself at the scene._

_Kamiya Koshijirou smiled broadly at his daughter's statement as he picked her up in his arms in one fell swoop. The little girl laughed harmonically at the sudden embrace._

_"Let's go show them who's weak, ne?"_

_"Hai!" Kaoru replied with her eyebrows furrowed and the most serious tone she could manage. This only made Kamiya laugh more as he began to walk back inside with the little girl propped in his arms. Miroku watched the retreating figures with a kind of heaviness in his heart. 'Kaoru, I'm glad you're happy', he thought.  'In order to protect your happiness, I'll make sure Fujimoto never finds you.' He took one last glance at the little girl as he made his way to the Tokyo docks._

_'China', he thought in irony, 'I thought that I would be going there with my family. Now it's just me.'_

_End Flashback_

Miroku thought back to those memories with a sigh. Here he was leaving her once again. _To protect her . . for her own good. _

Kaoru sat there with her eyes glued to the man's back. _The thought of him leaving her once again_, she thought. It would be too much to bear especially when it had taken this long to find him. In a quick motion, she got up and grabbed his hands forcefully and held onto them. Miroku jerked to a stop as he turned around with widened blue eyes. 

"You . . you BAKA! I don't care about the danger, I only want you to stay with me. Please," she said while focusing on her father's surprised eyes. "That Fujimoto guy is looking for me too right? It won't matter if you're here with me or not." Her determined blue eyes looked at him and challenged him to leave her once again.

"and . . and . . and anyway . . I would like to learn more about my father," Kaoru ended with her head bowed down.

Miroku's eyes began to become watery as he turned around fully and instantly pulled her into a fierce hug. 

"Oh, Kaoru-chan . .." He closed his eyes as he felt his daughter's body loosen up within his hug and smiled.

He had found his happiness once again.

-

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks so much for your comments and feedback so far!! =D They're great. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Anyway, here is some information that could clear up some parts of this chapter.

1.) Ryo is Higurashi Miroku's son's name.

2.) Kamiya Koshijirou had gone out of the dojo to get some water from the well nearby. That was why Kaoru was calling for him.

3.) The reason Higurashi didn't say anything to his daughter was because he was afraid that if Fujimoto Akane were to find out that his daughter was also alive, he would kill her. Miroku didn't want to endanger his daughter or his friend anymore so he left the country in hopes that he would protect the future of Kaoru.

_Reader Responses_:

MissBehavin – Hehe . .I'm glad you liked the Aoshi/Sano scene. I love those two guys. Total opposites in their behavior and how they express themselves.  

**Blazes purple fire** – I tried to get the fic out before Thanksgiving, but sigh .. no such luck. I still had some creative juices flowing inside of me after writing that last chapter and didn't get a writer's block. ^_^ But I found that I wanted to have a lot more stuff happen in this chapter so I could better explain Miroku's past. =)

**Ryoga** – Hi! Thanks for the comments and such. I'm glad you enjoy it so far. Arigato gozaimasu!

**Devotd-inu-fan** – Thanks for the review ^_^ Yay! I'm happy I was able to update this chapter sooner for you guys. ^_^ You like Indian restaurants also? =D =D I love Indian food .. yum yum .. especially palak paneer. Yum yum… *drools

**Boomerang-chan** – Hello! Thanks for the feedback! You like Naruto also? You can actually download eps of Naruto off BitTorrent at www.animesuki.com .. ^_^ Hopefully that will help. Anyway, you can also get the DVDs off of ebay. =) Take care!

**^_^** - Oh cool.. You're Chinese also? ^_^ Me, too .. Yeah, they haven't found much information about Kaoru .. but rest assured Kaoru and Kenshin will FINALLY meet up in the next chapter.. or the chapter after that. ^_^

**anabell** – Hello! I'm glad you like the story so far! Thanks for leaving me feedback.

**Chibi sasuke** – Thanks for leaving me comments on the chapters! I really appreciate it!      

**Xxxtripletroublexxx **– Hello. Gomen this is not a sou/kao fic, but as I have said before .. Soujiro will have a happy ending also. ^_^

**Iminyourmind** – Hello! Thanks for leaving me the comments at the end. Anyway, I updated more quickly this time. ^_^. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was EXTRA long .. hehe ^_^

**OniTokage** – Thanks so much for the message that you left me! It was very sweet. Anyway, of course people are waiting for you to update your fic!!! It's great! Hehe .. so hope you update soon! 

**Shermaine** – I hope you liked the chapter!

**Saotome** – thnx for the comment.

Chibilee – Aww. . thanks so much for your feedback. I'm so glad that you like the story so far! =D =D =D x) *brimming over with happiness. Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait. It's the longest one I've written so far. Hehe .. ur comments always get me laughing.. 

**Chibi Fyrefly** – Hi! Sorry about all the flashbacks .. but as you see .. they are necessary. ^_^ hehe .. not to worry though .. Kenshin and Kaoru will finally meet up soon!

**Catrina3** – Hello! Thanks again for reviewing. =D =D =D Yep after the next chapter. .things will really start happening. I mean .. after this chapter. .so look forward to it. ^_^ 

**Aimi-chan** – I totally agree . .Sou/Kao do make a very cute couple ^_^ I'm not sure when I'll start on my Sou/Kao fic .. I was thinking of doing this Aoshi/Kao fic first or maybe Kenshin/Kaoru/Tomoe fic. ^_^ I guess I'll wait and see..

**Kitty12perfecto** – thanks for the comments ^_^ hehe .. I didn't leave a cliffhanger for this one. =x

**Kenshinfan** – Yay! I'm glad all three of you like the fic so far! =D =D *author smiles brightly

**Laurika** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing. I hope this update didn't take as long . .but the chapter is really long. ^_^


	29. Revelations

**Disclaimer: **Soujiro is not mine. *Author looks from side to side then grabs Soujiro and runs. Hehehe . .

**Special Thanks to OniTokage, Adara Kaye, and Atrienne for adding me to your Favorite Authors List!** Sniff sniff. . thank you! =D =D 

**Warning: **Violence, blood, and offensive language.

**Author's Notes: **I hope you all had a great Christmas! Happy New Years everyone! This is the last stretch until this fic finally comes to an end. =*) Sorry it took so long for this chapter to get out. Anyway, this is an extra long chapter and is pivotal to the entire story. 

_Quick Recap__: _Kaoru has started to regain her memories about her past, although she still has not remembered anything about Kenshin and the rest of the gang. In order to search for Higurashi, Kaoru and Soujiro have journeyed together to Shanghai, China. Kenshin, Misao, Aoshi, Yahiko, and Sanosuke have followed them. The only sighting of Kaoru has been by Tokio who has relayed the information to Saitou. After almost a month of being in China, Kaoru has finally found Higurashi and he has broken to her the news that he is actually her biological father and Kaoru has accepted him. 

_Timeline_: Post-Jinchuu. It's been about two months since Kaoru has been missing. 

_Characters_: (I've only put in the ones that are OC and not part of the anime series.)

**Higurashi Miroku** – Father of Kaoru and ex-Shinsengumi member who worked as a spy for the Ishin Shishi.

**Fujimoto Akane ** - Ex-Shinsengumi captain who is after Higurashi and his daughter for vengeance for the past. 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 27**

"You . . you BAKA! I don't care about the danger, I only want you to stay with me. Please," she said while focusing on her father's surprised eyes. "That Fujimoto guy is looking for me too right? It won't matter if you're here with me or not." Her determined blue eyes looked at him and challenged him to leave her once again.

"and . . and . . and anyway . . I would like to learn more about my father," Kaoru ended with her head bowed down.

Miroku's eyes began to become watery as he turned around fully and instantly pulled her into a fierce hug. 

"Oh, Kaoru-chan . .." He closed his eyes as he felt his daughter's body loosen up within his hug and smiled.

He had found his happiness once again.

- - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

_Morning in Shanghai_

Miroku sat in a chair at home waiting for his daughter to come out of the room with a pleasant smile donning his features. It had been a week since he had told Kaoru the news about her past. That week that he had spent with her and Soujiro were the best days of his life. Kaoru told him stories about his old friend, Kamiya and he had both laughed and cried. He was grateful to his friend for bringing up his daughter in the manner that he did. She had grown into a beautiful and strong woman. A daughter any father could be proud of. 

"Higurashi-san?"

Miroku looked over his shoulder and saw Soujiro coming inside. He was wearing a black Chinese dress suit with pants. He smiled at the young man. "I've told you to just call me Miroku. No need for formalities," he said with a laugh.

Soujiro smiled.

Miroku looked over at him and his heart warmed. He had found that he had really grown to like Soujiro a lot. He reminded him of someone. Someone that was very dear to him. 

"Ano .. is Kao-chan almost ready?" Soujiro asked.

Miroku shook his head as he broke out of his thoughts. The father had made Kaoru change into a traditional Chinese qipao so that she could blend in with the Chinese people. By changing her physical appearance a little, he thought, Fujimoto and his men would have a harder time finding her. 

_CLICK_

Kaoru stepped out from the room. Miroku and Soujiro's breath caught within their throats. Before them was no longer the bokken-wielding assistant master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, but a real lady. _A princess_, Miroku thought with a smile. Kaoru was wearing a traditional Chinese qipao. The midnight blue color highlighted the blue of her eyes. The qipao also had silver patterns of flowers that were intricately stitched on. Her hair was tied up in a simple bun. Pearls and other ornaments adorned it. The silk dress that clung to her frame accentuated her curves. Kaoru spun around to show off her new clothes.

"So .. what do you think? Do you think I would fit in?" Kaoru asked with a bright smile. 

 "You look great, Kao-chan. I didn't think you could look so much like a woman," Soujiro playfully said with a smile.

Kaoru's ki suddenly flared at his comment and then she narrowed her icy blue eyes as she turned towards her companion. "What did you say, Sou - - jiro?" she said menacingly.

The young man sweatdropped. "Ano.  . . I was just playing Kao-chan. You know . . ." He squeezed his eyes shut as he gave a forced smile and began to fumble with his fingers behind him in anticipation of getting hit. Instead, nothing came. He looked up and saw that Kaoru was smiling. 

Soujiro made a mental note to himself:_ Never make fun of Kao-chan's womanhood_. __

Miroku broke into another hearty laugh at the scene that played before him. He loved his daughter's vivacity. It reminded him so much of his wife's personality. "You know, Kaoru-chan . . you can be quite scary when you're mad. You might scare away any eligible bachelors with that attitude." 

Soujiro scratched the back of his head as he put on a smile, agreeing with Miroku's observation.

"Mou . ." Kaoru sighed as she walked towards the two of them. She eyed Soujiro up and down since she had not seen him donning Chinese clothes before and laughed. "Mou! Sou-chan! You can't even put on your shirt properly!"

Soujiro blushed a deep red as he looked down. "Ano . ." He gave a nervous chuckle as he looked down at his clothes.

Miroku laughed. "I didn't even notice until now. Go on Soujiro, I'll show you how to wear this."

The young man nodded as he smiled and turned around to go into the next room. Miroku followed closely behind him. When they went into the room, Soujiro took off the shirt so that he could fix the shirt inside. Miroku chuckled at Soujiro's confused face as he looked at all the buttons and such. As Soujiro turned around, the man noticed something on his bare back.

A crescent-shaped birthmark in the upper right shoulder blade area.

Higurashi felt his legs become weak and his breathing became labored.

_Was it possible?_

"Daijoubu Higurashi-san?" the young man asked with worried blue eyes. Higurashi's own eyes widened. "Ano . . Higurashi-san?" Soujiro repeated. Miroku shook his head to come out of the daze. 

"H-hai, Soujiro. I'm fine," he said shakily.

The boy gave him another worried glance, but then smiled. "All right, Higurashi-san."

The monk felt his palms become sweaty and started to feel lightheaded. He took a seat at the nearest chair as he lay his head down on his arm. _Was it possible? How .. but how .. I can't jump to conclusions like this. _Miroku took another swift glance at Soujiro as he was struggling to put his shirt back on himself. _But the resemblance . .the resemblance is uncanny_, he thought. 

"Ano.. Soujiro, you never told me about .. well, do you remember your parents?" Miroku asked with reservation.

Soujiro turned around and continued to smile. "No, my parents died a long time ago. My mother worked in a brothel house and my father was a small business man. I don't remember my mother at all and I can only see a shadow of what was my father."

"Oh," Miroku replied. He thought for awhile and then asked, "How old are you?"

Soujiro scratched the back of his head as he thought. "I think I'm about twenty now or maybe twenty-one. I haven't really kept track of my birthdays. Ano . . Higurashi-san . . is there something wrong?"

The monk faked a laugh as he adjusted his dark blue robes. "No . . nothing. I just wanted to learn more about Kaoru's friend, that is all." __

"Aaa," Soujiro mused. 

As they retreated from the room, Miroku's eyes darkened as he tried to piece together what little information Soujiro had given him. _He is around the same age also_, he thought. _But it couldn't be . . could it? Could it be . . that . .  that . ._

_Flashback_

_"'Tousan 'tousan!" a little boy called out. _

_Miroku came out with a laugh. "Nani Ryo-chan?" The little two year old boy's deep blue eyes looked up at his father with glee.  _

_"I want to go swimming! But 'kaasan say that you need to come with me," the boy said._

_Miroku laughed and nodded. "Alright, 'tousan will come watch you."_

_"Yay!" Ryo screamed in happiness as he jumped up and down. Miroku picked up the boy in his arms and walked over to the small lake. Since the water was only about a foot deep, Miroku felt it was safe for his son to swim around._

_"Yay!" the boy continued to gleam. The father put his son down on the ground and helped undress him. As Ryo got up to run towards the water, Miroku noticed the boy's birthmark._

_A crescent shaped moon on the right side of his shoulder._

_End Flashback_

- - - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Kenshin, Aoshi, and Misao journeyed in the blinding sunlight towards the Qinghua Temple once again. Misao walked in front, Aoshi in the middle, while Kenshin lagged behind. The rurouni was thoroughly depressed and had not had a night of good sleep for the past two months or so. Misao looked behind her with a small frown of worry on her face. This was not the Himura that she knew from before. The time without Kaoru had taken its toll on all of them, but it was most visible in Kenshin. He was not the 'oroing' friend that she once knew. Instead he had become less talkative and much more withdrawn from the group. The only thing that would bring about some energy from him was news about Kaoru. The pig-tailed girl turned back around and furrowed her brows. Thoughts and questions ran through her head at lightning speed. __

_What if Kaoru's memories about us never return? What would we do? What would .. what would Himura do?_

_And. ._

_What if .. what if we never find her?_

Misao's heart clenched in pain as she thought of the latter. No, she couldn't think of something so pessimistic. _Things will turn out all right. We will find Kaoru and things will all be back to normal_, she tried to convince herself. Then she could go back to plotting about how she would get Aoshi to propose to her. The girl let out an evil smirk at the last thought.

The group continued to trek through the dirt roads until they finally reached the temple. Kenshin surprised both Misao and Aoshi by running ahead of them as they went up the long stone staircase. Misao smiled a bit at Kenshin's renewed energy. The determination that she saw in Kenshin's eyes renewed her hopes once more. He reminded her of herself when she was searching for Aoshi and the rest of them at the time. She wouldn't give up because she loved him.

Misao looked back at Aoshi and gave him a bright smile. Aoshi smiled a ghost of a smile back at her. The girl beamed at the sight and became lost in her daydreams as she continued to walk forward.

THUD 

Misao was so busy in her own thoughts that she had ran into Kenshin's back. She was about to yell at him for stopping in the middle of her way when she noticed how tense his muscles were in his back. Curious jade eyes looked over his shoulders.

The glimmer of hope she had earlier flickered out at the sight before her eyes.

- - - - - - - -  - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

_Mid Afternoon_

Miroku's thoughts were thrown into turmoil. When Kaoru had gone to take a bath, the man thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to ask Soujiro about his past.

"Ano, Soujiro . ." he began. The young man looked up at the monk as he addressed him and gave him a smile. "I am . . well, I was wondering . . if you could tell me about yourself. What you did before . ."

Soujiro's smile faltered as he mentioned this. However, for some reason, Soujiro felt that he could confide in the man that sat across from him.

_An hour later_

" . . . and that was when I met Kao-chan," Soujiro finished. Miroku sat and watched the young man before him in a new light. How he could still be someone like he was right now was amazing for him. The older man reached out and grabbed Soujiro's hand as he finished. 

"Arigato, Soujiro. For . . taking care of Kaoru these past two months," he stated. As he said this, they heard the door slide open and Kaoru come inside. Both of them turned towards her and she gave a worried look. She had noticed that the once joyous atmosphere had turned serious and melancholic.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Soujiro smiled, "Kao-chan, don't worry. Nothing's wrong. Higurashi-san and I were just talking."

"Oh," she replied as she wiped her wet hair with the towel. "Mou, you guys seem so serious." 

Miroku was conflicted, half of him wanted to burst with happiness, while the other half was weary. He wasn't sure how Soujiro would handle the news. But after much thought earlier that day, Miroku decided it would be best to break the news to the both of them. He looked back and forth between Soujiro and Kaoru. 

_I have to tell him, it's only right_, he thought.

"Soujiro," Miroku started as he motioned for both Kaoru and the young man to sit down, "I have a story to tell you."

- - - -  - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - -  -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -  -

_Downtown Shanghai_

A man dressed in a black western suit came back to the hostel with a tight frown on his face. His underlings cowered beneath him as they heard his heavy footsteps come through the door.

"O-okaeri . ." a female servant said.

The man looked at her with narrowed brown eyes and grabbed her forearm. The girl was shocked. "F- Fujimoto-san?" She looked up at him with fear in her vivid brown eyes.

"Damn that bastard," Akane mumbled underneath his breath. "It doesn't matter. I'll find you Higurashi and your daughter."

"F-Fujimoto-san . ." the girl repeated meekly as he continued to drag her by her arm. She gasped when she saw traces of bloodstains on his suit and wrinkled her nose at the smell of gunpowder.

Akane looked down at the servant with fierce brown eyes. Swirls of hatred mixed with bloodlust colored his eyes as he thought of Higurashi. _That bastard will pay_, he promised himself. His grip tightened on the girl and she let out a small squeak due to the pain. 

"You're coming with me," Fujimoto directed at the woman as they walked into the room. 

He gave an evil smirk as he shut the door behind him. 

- - - -  - - - -  - -  - - - - - -  - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - -  - - -- - - - - - - 

_Back at Qinghua Temple_

Kenshin, Aoshi, and Misao stood in shock at the sight before their eyes. Blood. It was everywhere. Someone had come and slaughtered all of the monks that resided in that area. Kenshin and Aoshi quickly scanned the entire area for any signs of hostile ki.

"It seems that the intruder has left," Aoshi stated.

Kenshin nodded his head in agreement. 

Misao's eyes were wide open in horror and disbelief at the scene. "Who would do this? We . . we were just here a week ago . . and . . and everyone was fine. Who could do such a horrible thing?"

"Fujimoto," Kenshin said icily. His eyes narrowed in hatred and disgust as they turned an amber shade. His ki became deadly. _How could he take the lives of so many innocent people? _

Aoshi looked around and said, "Let's look to see if there are any survivors." He began to walk further into the temple with Kenshin and Misao close behind. As they passed through several temples, all they had found were dead bodies. So far they had not found a single person that was still alive. Kenshin clenched his fist tightly. _This only happened a couple of hours ago. If only we had come earlier, we . .we could have prevented this from happening, _Kenshin thought.

*_GURGLE, GURGLE_

The trio heard a sound and quickly turned to search for the origin. There they found a monk who was half-dead propped up against a red pole near the corner of one of the larger rooms. Blood was sputtering up from his mouth and there was a large bloodstain near the man's right side. Color was quickly draining from the man's face. They ran over to his side and Kenshin quickly tore some cloth from his gi to wrap around the monk's wound. 

Misao gasped as she saw the face. "It's .. it's the monk that we saw when we last came here."

Aoshi's eyes glazed over as he too recognized the man. Hatred for Fujimoto tripled upon seeing that the man had mercilessly slaughtered all of the people in the area. _Just for one man. . . what kind of monster is he? _"Shi shei gan de?" (Who did this?) Aoshi asked the monk.

The monk, in a lot of pain, craned his neck towards Aoshi. He opened his eyes half-way and his eyelids fluttered. As he began to speak, a thin river of blood began to drip from the corner of his lips. "Shi . . shi ni." (It's you.)

Misao's eyes began to water. It seems that the monk still recognized them from that time that they had come before. She subconsciously reached out to hold the man's hand that was quickly losing its warmth by the second. _No . .how could .. how could someone do this?_

"Shi shei gan de?" (Who did this?) Aoshi repeated. This time his voice held an edge to it. The man was thoroughly angered by the atrocity.

"Shi . . shi . . yi ge nan de jiao Fujimoto. Ta gen . . gen . .  bie de ren lai. Ta. . ta yao zhao Miroku," (It was a man named Fujimoto. He came with a few men to search for Higurashi Miroku.) the monk said with difficulty. He closed his eyes as he became short of breath. With his last remaining strength, the monk reached into the sleeve of his clothes and took out a raggedy piece of paper. "Dui bu qi, wo zao yin gai gei ni zhe ge," (I'm sorry. I should have given this to you before.) With those last words, the man's body became limp.

Kenshin, Misao, and Aoshi lowered their heads in sorrow. All was silent as death surrounded the three of them.

"We'll find him and . . and . . he'll pay," Misao spoke. Tears started to come out of her eyes as she thought of what had just taken place. _This . . if Kaoru is found by him . . this . . this is what will happen to her. _"We can't  let . . we'll find Kaoru before he does."She then felt a strong pair of arms embrace her and pull her in. She looked up and saw that it was Aoshi. He had his eyes closed as held onto her. Being in his arms made the girl feel a bit better.

Kenshin looked down at the man with his crimson bangs over his eyes. He said a small prayer for him as he took the small, crumpled piece of paper from the monk's hand. He slowly opened it up. Scribbled on the paper were Chinese characters depicting what Kenshin surmised to be various locations where Higurashi might be located. Kenshin felt his heart become just a bit lighter and his hope grow as he looked at it. 

"Thank you, houshi-sama," Kenshin said silently as he closed the man's eyes. "Rest in peace."

With that said, Kenshin and the others got up and slowly began to make their way back out. Misao walked shoulder to shoulder with Aoshi. She needed some of his strength to make it back. They stopped at the bottom of the mountain and took one last look at the temple.

"Here are different locations where Higurashi could be located. Misao, you and Aoshi go search for her in these places. While I go search for her here," Kenshin stated as he pointed to different places on the piece of paper.  "If we find him . . maybe . . maybe he would know something about Kaoru-dono . . ."

Misao and Aoshi nodded as they walked in their separate directions. 

-  -  - -  - -  - -  - - - -  - -  - - - -  - - - - -  - - - - - - -  - - - - - - - - 

_Early Evening_

Kenshin had searched every location stated on the piece of paper, but to his dismay, no information about Higurashi Miroku was known. The day was already starting to become dark. He breathed a sigh of defeat as he sat himself down next to the tree. His purple eyes gazed over at the sparkling water that was a few feet away from him. The sun cast a hypnotic gold glimmer on the pond. 

Kaoru- dono . . Kaoru . . where are you? 

His eyes began to tear up as he thought about her once more. Fujimoto was relentless and vicious. He would stop at nothing until he had found both her and Higurashi. Kenshin understood this and this was what scared him. _What if Fujimoto finds her before I do? _He shivered at the thought and the memory of the tragedy that occurred at the temple the day before. He dropped his head down and his bangs fell over his eyes.

_No matter what .. I can't let that happen. I'll find you and then . . and then . .what then?, _he questioned himself. What if Kaoru still would not remember him? What if Kaoru wanted to stay in China with her father? These questions came upon him like a tsunami sometimes at night, but he would not let himself get carried away in those thoughts. His only goal was that he wanted to find her. 

_No matter who she is with or what she decides to do and whether or not she remembers me, I'll always protect her_, he asserted to himself.

He looked back up and found that night had already fallen. 

A single firefly flew by him.

And tears fell from his eyes.

- -  - - - - -  - - -  - - - - -  - - - -  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Evening_

_"You're my son . . ."_

Kaoru pursued Soujiro as he ran out of the building. She followed him for a long while until she found that he had stopped near a pond. Out of breath, she stopped and rested near a large tree. 

Kaoru looked at Soujiro with a calmness in her face. She understood what the young man was going through right now. She knew about his past. His confusion and pain, they both seemed very palpable to her. For Kaoru had gotten so close to her companion in the short span of time they had been together. To find out that . . find out that they were siblings, her heart and mind were thrown into confusion. Her life compared to Soujiro's own seemed to be a walk in the park. 

"Sou-chan," she whispered as she neared him. Soujiro didn't turn around to acknowledge her as he stared out into the pond. Kaoru took small, light steps as she walked up closer to him and placed a gentle hand over Soujiro's own. Then she lay her head upon his shoulder. 

Soujiro didn't move.

"Soujiro, I know . . I know . . that this is . . difficult. I . .I really don't know what to say. I just want you to know that I'm really glad that we got to spend the time together that we did. I know that this is a shock, but . . I'm glad to have you as a brother. I wouldn't want anyone else."

Kaoru looked at Soujiro's visage after she finished speaking. His eyes were narrowed in emotion displaying shock, anger, sadness, and  . . . and maybe even happiness. She looked towards the pond. Fireflies had become to come out and they had begun to cast a haunting greenish-yellow glow to the entire area. She sucked in her breath. 

"It's beautiful," she whispered in awe, as she said it her heart clenched in pain. For some reason, despite the beauty of it all, there was an air of sadness to it. A tear fell from her eyes unknowingly. As she continued to stare off into the pond, she felt Soujiro's palm wipe the wetness from her face. She turned towards him. 

Soujiro was there gazing at her. "Kao-chan, don't cry." 

With that said, Kaoru embraced him. She felt him smile and her heart lightened. Together they walked back home.

Unbeknownst to the two, a pair of lavender eyes watched from behind the tree. 

-

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

**Please read and review! **Thanks very much! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a great New Year's! I can't believe 2003 has already come to an end. Sniff sniff .. time flies by so quickly. Gomen, this chapter may seem loose in some ends, but more will be explained in the next chapter, which I will start working on this week.

Lol .. I bet you can guess who the lavender-eyed guy is in the last scene. ^_^ Anyway, that's the "first meeting".  Also, Kaoru will be meeting up with Sanosuke and Yahiko in the next chapter. =D 

As you can see, I've made my character Fujimoto Akane a kind of mentally deranged man who is driven on revenge and regain of his dignity. In a sense, the man still lives in the past because he cannot give it up. 

**Also .. **what transpired that night when Miroku's wife and "Ryo" left Miroku's side will be told in the later chapters. ^_^ Keke . . Also .. they will reveal the reason why Soujiro does not seem to remember it. I know it seems like a long stretch .. but Soujiro's physical appearance is somewhat similar to Kaoru's. Blue eyes, black hair. ^_^ Hehe . . and I like Soujiro a lot. There are a lot of clues leading up to this discovery in many of the earlier chapters. You'll probably catch them if you were to read through this fic again. I thought what would make him happiest is to have a family. That way he could learn how it was to be loved and how it feels to love. How it feels to be wanted. Anyway, I thought that by giving him a real family, he could later on find love for himself and have a family of his own: ie what it means to be a father, etc. 

Here is some additional information to clear up any other questions in the chapter:

1.) Qipao – Traditional Chinese dress that is tightly fitted to the female form. It is made of silk or can be made of cotton. It usually has two high slits on the sides. ^_^ (I always wanted to see Kaoru dressed in one of these with Kenshin around .. hehehe .. wonder what our rurouni thinks)

2.) Soujiro has gotten much closer with Kaoru so he is able to make fun of her at times. ^_^ (thus the joke about Kaoru being womanly)

3.) Fujimoto and his men came to Qinghua temple to find out about the whereabouts of Higurashi Miroku. If you remember in one of the earlier chapters, Fujimoto had found out about where Higurashi had been residing at for the past couple of years in Shanghai. Since none of the monks told him any information about Higurashi, Fujimoto had mercilessly slaughtered the entire lot of them. In the end, the monk could tell that Kenshin, Aoshi, and Misao were good people. That was why he entrusted them with information about Higurashi. 

4.) To elaborate: the piece of paper that the monk had slipped to them was a paper showing all the locations in China where Miroku had connections. 

_Reader Responses:_

**Naruto Fan** – Thanks for reviewing all the chapters! I really appreciate it. I love Naruto also. ^_^ It's one of my favorite anime series. =)

**Princess of Darkness and me** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing again. ^_^ I missed you. Lol .. anyway, hope you had a great Christmas and everything.  Happy New Years!

**O.Juice** – Hi! Wow. Thanks so much for reviewing. I absolutely love your fic "Always" Hehe . .when are you updating it? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Happy New Years!

**Ryoga** – Thanks for all the great reviews. I really enjoy reading them.

**Saotome** – Thanks for reviewing. I hope you had a great Christmas.

**The sacred night** – Hehe .. I'm glad you like the story behind Kaoru's dad. ^_^ It seemed plausible enough to me. Btw, I've read your fic and really enjoyed it! ^_^ 

**MissBehavin** – Happy New Years! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know some parts are a bit confusing right now, but they'll be cleared up in the later chapters. ^_^ Btw, your new fic based on Katsu's paper is hilarious! I can't wait to read more installments. =D

**Sailor-Earth 13** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing. ^_^ I'm glad you like the story so far. I hope you still enjoyed this chapter. Whatever that seems confusing in this chapter will be explained in the next one. Happy New Years!

**Uganda-san** – Hi! Glad you like the story! Hope you enjoy the rest. 

**Bubble-boi** – Hi. Glad you liked it.

**Kitty12perfecto** – Thanks for reviewing. Yeah, there is one more major sad part to this story which will be coming up soon revolving around . . .(mumbles something incoherently)  ^_^ Happy New Years!

**Shermaine** – Thanks for reviewing.

**Irihi** – Hello! I'm so used to seeing your other name "Blazes Purple Fire" hehee. . Anyway, I hope you still enjoyed this chapter. It's different from my other ones, but anything that is confusing will be explained in the later chapters. More stuff will be revealed about the past. Lol . . it plays a major part. Happy New Years!

**OniTokage** – Hehe .. so Kenshin has seen Kaoru ..  "First meeting" they 'll meet again in the next chapter. I hope you liked it. Happy New Years!

**Kalli** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing! Lol. . Yeah, I chose Miroku as the father because I usually like having a face to a name (so I chose someone from another anime series)… anyway, yeah you're right, I chose him because of his physical appearance and because of his personality.  Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Happy New Years!

**Boomerang-chan** - =D Thanks for reviewing. Lol .. I've been watching a lot of Naruto episodes lately. It's currently my favorite. I would totally recommend it to you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Have a great new year!

**Laurika** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, this is another looong chapter. Lol .. my longest chapter yet. I don't think I'll be writing any more chapters this long for this fic. Anyway, I hope you have a great new years! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Kago2350** – Hehe .. Kenshin has finally found Kaoru .. ^_^ The "First Meeting".

**Aimi-chan** – Hi! I'm glad you enjoyed the fic so far. I hope you still enjoyed this chapter. For Sou/Kao pairing, I decided on writing another story. ^_^ You can see why. Hehe . .anyway, the family relationship between Soujiro and Kaoru is pivotal to this story and plays a big part later. You'll just have to wait and see why. ^_^

**Anonymous** – Thanks for reviewing! Anyway, the reason why Fujimoto wants Kaoru is because she is the daughter of Higurashi Miroku. Fujimoto hates him and wants to do anything to cause pain for him. So he decided in order to get revenge, he would also kill his daughter.

**Anabell** – Hi! Thanks for reviewing. I hope you will still like this story even though it's not a Sou/Kao pairing in the end. However, I am planning on writing a different story so that Sou/Kao end up together. =)

**Kawaiililkitsune** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you have a great new years! I'm glad you like the story so far ^_^ *blushes. I hope you enjoy the rest.

**Shiomei** – Sorry about taking so long to update. This chapter is extra LOOoong to make up for the time. Happy New Years!

**Catrina3** – Yeah, ^_^ I like Kaoru's personality. I'm glad you like the story so far. =D I hope you have a great new years!

**Anna** – Thanks for reviewing!


	30. Barriers to Overcome

**Disclaimer**: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine.. sigh

**Special Thanks to Shikai-sama (aka Blazin Purple Fires, Irihi), Star-Princess-Lily, and Randomxthoughts for adding me to your Favorite Authors' List! **Thanks !!! ^_^

**Author's Notes**: Hello! ^_^ I have another fic up on FF.Net called "When Something Changes." It's a Modern Day A/U Kenshin/Kaoru/Tomoe story based on a film called "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai." Kaoru and Kenshin are the best of friends (ever since elementary school), in college, Kaoru begins to realize that her feelings for Kenshin go much deeper than friendship. However, she realizes this too late because at that time Tomoe comes into the picture.

So if you have time, check that fic out also. ^_^ Thanks very much. I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter.

Oh yes, there's a nice music website you guys should visit: Please visit it and sign the guest book if you have the time. He would really appreciate it and if you're interested, there's also a site where you can buy his CD. 

Okay, enough ranting. On with the story. . .    

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 28**

"Soujiro, I know . . I know . . that this is . . difficult. I . . I just want you to know that I'm really glad that we got to spend the time together that we did. I know that this is a shock, but . . I'm glad to have you as a brother. I wouldn't want anyone else."

Kaoru looked at Soujiro's visage after she finished speaking. His eyes were narrowed in emotion displaying shock, anger, sadness, and  . . . and maybe even happiness. She looked towards the pond. Fireflies had become to come out and they had begun to cast a haunting greenish-yellow glow to the entire area. She sucked in her breath. "It's beautiful," she whispered in awe, as she said it her heart clenched in pain. For some reason, despite the beauty of it all, there was an air of sadness to it. A tear fell from her eyes unknowingly. As she continued to stare off into the pond, she felt Soujiro's palm wipe the wetness from her face. She turned towards him. 

Soujiro was there gazing at her. "Kao-chan, don't cry." 

With that said, Kaoru embraced him. She felt him smile and her heart lightened. Together they walked back home.

Unbeknownst to the two, a pair of lavender eyes watched from behind the tree. 

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Kenshin sat behind the tree looking longingly at the crystal clear waters of the lake before him. He missed her.

Kaoru.

It had been over three months since he had seen her last. He sighed sadly as the sky darkened. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he failed to hear the conversation going on near him.

" . . I wouldn't want anyone else." A woman's voice broke through Kenshin's meandering thoughts as he quickly shifted in his position to look past the tree. Two figures stood on the marshy grass. A man and a woman. Kenshin squinted his lavender eyes to get a closer look at the faces of the figures at night.

Kenshin saw that the woman was wearing a dark blue qipao with silver linings of flowers imprinted on the silky fabric. The man felt something stir at the pit of his stomach at the sight.  Then he noticed that the both of the figures were quiet and sullen.

_Maybe it's a lover's quarrel_, Kenshin thought to himself as he began to sit back in his original position. _I should get going, de gozaru yo. Night is starting to fall and maybe Aoshi and Misao have found some information on Higurashi Miroku. _As the man began to get up, he heard another man speak.

"Kao-chan, don't cry."

He froze in the spot. _Kao-chan? _A surge of hope flew through Kenshin's heart as he turned like lightning to look at the couple again. The purple-eyed man watched as the other man walked closer towards the woman and embraced her in a tight hug. Kenshin felt his heart clench at the sight, but disregarded the feeling. As he continued to watch, the light from the fireflies had begun to light up the strangers' faces as they were holding one another.

Long black hair tied up in a bun.

Delicate eyebrows.

Petal-like lips that began to curve up into a gentle smile.

Kenshin watched rooted on the spot as the woman started to separate herself from the man. Her eyelids gently fluttered open.

Blue eyes.

_Kaoru_.

She was here. It was her. Kenshin broke into a grand smile as he took a step from out of his place. But then something froze him.

He remembered that she was with another.

Soujiro.

Kenshin shook his head as his eyes turned amber for a second before turning back to their purplish hue. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the two of them leave. His eyes lingered on her figure for a long time and his sight traveled from her arms to her hands. They were wrapped in Soujiro's own hands. 

He was unable to move. He was unable to call out to her. 

He watched as the two of them walked away. All his hopes and dreams for the future seemed to disappear along with their figures.

Kenshin stood there until his legs gave way and crumpled to the floor.

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_The next day_

Kaoru got up early that morning so she could ask her father if she could go to the market with Soujiro accompanying her. Soujiro didn't feel comfortable enough to talk to him after that night because he still felt wary of the fact that the man was his father. 

"Ano .. o – otousan," Kaoru said as she stumbled over her words. "Ano . . eto . . we need some more vegetables and rice. I was wondering if I could go to the market to buy some. I haven't been out much lately and it's so stuffy in here. Of course Sou-chan will be there with me so you don't have anything to worry about," she said quickly.

Higurashi Miroku looked up at her and tightened his lips as he furrowed his brows. Would it be wise to send Kaoru out to the market when Fujimoto's men were still out looking for her? What if something were to happen to her?

Kaoru stood intently awaiting her father's response. In truth, she and Soujiro felt that they needed time away so that Soujiro could gather his feelings and thoughts. Also it had been a long time since Kaoru had been able to go out and she knew that she needed the fresh air.

Miroku looked back up at his daughter and noticed how desperate her eyes looked. She really needed time outside as did Soujiro. He sucked in his breath as he nodded reluctantly. "Alright . . but make sure you come back within two hours."

The girl's smile quickly grew as she nodded her head. "Hai! Thank you! We'll be back soon so don't worry!" she said with a wave as she left the room.

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Yahiko and Sanosuke had wandered off into the market in search of Kenshin. Both Misao and Aoshi had reported back last night that they hadn't found any information about Kaoru and Kenshin hadn't returned that night. Both the boy and the young man were worried so they set out to look for him in the morning hoping that maybe the Rurouni had found some information about Kaoru's whereabouts and maybe that was why he hadn't returned.

"Wares for sale! Wares for sale! Straight from Japan! Wares for sale!" Hordes of people gathered around each stall and the two found that they had to push themselves through the mass. Yahiko and Sanosuke panted heavily as they made their way through. Sweat laced around each of their foreheads as they continued forward.

Yahiko wiped some sweat off of his brow as they continued through the streets. It was beginning to feel hopeless. Their search for Kaoru.  Not one bit of information could be found about her and the biggest lead they had on Kaoru was gone when Aoshi and Misao informed them that all the monks in the Qinghua Temple were killed. 

"Mou! Sou-chan . ."

Yahiko stopped dead in his tracks.

That voice.

_Haha . ._

That laughter.

Yahiko's heart skipped a beat. Sanosuke turned around noticing that the boy wasn't by his side anymore. "Hey, hurry it up. Why'd you . ."

He saw a flash of black spiky hair and a bokken off in the distance. "Yahiko . . that .  . that . ." Sano broke off into a run trying to catch up with the young boy.

"Move it. . Move .. Aa sorry . . Damn it . . you people are all so slow!" Sanosuke grumbled as he pushed his way to the stall where he had seen the young boy. As he began to walk closer he noticed that Yahiko had stopped in his tracks. Sano's eyes followed Yahiko's line of sight and it fell on a girl who was examining a daikon radish.

She was wearing a silky black qipao with intricate flower designs on it and had her hair up in a bun. Sanosuke smirked. "I didn't know you had a taste for older women, Yahiko-chan," he teased as he ruffled the young boy's spiky hair. 

Sano turned back around and was about to continue to walk when he saw that the boy wasn't following him.  The man turned around annoyed by the fact that Yahiko was still gawking at the girl. Damn it they didn't have time for this, they had to look for Kenshin.

"Oi!" Sano exclaimed.

Yahiko didn't flinch.

"Oi!" he yelled louder this time.

Instead of turning around and walking towards the man, the boy broke into a run. Sanosuke grimaced as the boy ventured farther away from him. "That brat!"

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Yahiko continued to run as he saw the woman leaving the market with another close by her side. _It had to have been Kaoru, _the boy thought with an upsurge of hope. 

 "Kaoru!" Yahiko called out. 

Sanosuke, who was close behind him, stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened in shock. He quickly turned his attention to the woman that they had been looking at before. _Could that have been our Jou-chan?, _Sano thought. The man took a few quickened steps closer towards the woman's figure and felt his heart beating faster by the second.

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"Kaoru!"

At the calling of her name, the girl stopped in her tracks as her blood ran cold. The other boy who accompanied her stopped also and unconsciously put his hand over the hilt of his katana.

"Kaoru!" Yahiko continued to call. His heart had begun to beat three times faster than it had been before. His eyes were lit up in a joyful glee as he closed the distance between him. He didn't care if she was going to yell at him or if he was being any less manly for running and calling out to her like that. They had found her. They had finally found her. 

And there was no way . .no way that they would let her go again.

Kaoru's sapphire blue eyes widened in anticipation and shock. How did this young boy know her name? Why was he running towards her? How did he find her? She put a hand over Soujiro's shoulder and squeezed. She was scared. 

Soujiro smiled a bit protectively. "Don't worry, Kao-chan." 

Yahiko finally was in a few feets' distance. The young boy felt like he was going to explode with joy and happiness. He opened his arms so as he could hug his sensei. His sister. His family was going to be reunited once more.

Instead . .

The end of a cold, hard wooden sheath stopped Yahiko in his tracks.

His eyes widened in shock as he looked to whom the sheath belonged. "You . . you're the guy that I saw that night."

Soujiro himself felt surprised at the boy's words. _Could this be . . Kao-chan's companion from that night?_

"Jou-chan!" 

Kaoru looked up. A tall, spiky-haired guy run over to them with a big smile on his face and hands fisted into his pockets. Soujiro's eyes widened. 

"Sagara-san. . ." he said in shock recognition. _What . . what is he doing here?_

Sanosuke stopped running as he looked over at Kaoru's companion. He felt his brotherly instincts shoot forth upon seeing Kaoru with him. He clenched his fists.

"Tenken . ." he murmured dangerously.

Yahiko's eyes widened as he pointed in disbelief. "You mean . . that  . .that boy is Tenken?" 

Sano glared at Soujiro and cracked his knuckles in an attempt to intimidate him. Kaoru looked back and forth at the two newcomers with wide-open eyes. "How . .How did you know my name?" she said under her breath, her lips trembling. Soujiro was forgotten and focus was again given to the girl.

Yahiko looked up at his sensei with shocked and hurt brown eyes. "Kaoru . . You . . You really don't remember us?"

Kaoru looked over at Soujiro helplessly with worry and confusion tinged in the blue of her eyes. She then looked back at the two with searching eyes trying to find something about them that she could remember. The young boy, she saw, was wearing a stained dark yellow gi and hakama with a bokken tied to his back. His black spiky hair was in a mess and his eyes. _His eyes_, she saw, _were reflecting towards her both happiness, hurt, and relief. _But how come . .how come she couldn't remember them. She squeezed her eyes shut as she searched her mind. 

But nothing would come.

She then took a steady glance at the man who called her "jouchan." He was a tall fellow with brown spiky hair and a red bandanna tied around his forehead. Bandages were tied all around his legs, waist, and hands. He wore a white shirt and white pants to match. His eyes too reflected the same emotion as the young boy. Kaoru looked back and forth between the two and she felt her head begin to feel dizzy.

It hurt.

It hurt that she could not remember.

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and clutched her hands around her head. "Why . .", she cried as she shook her head, "Why can't I remember you . ." A tear fell from her eyes.

"Look, jouchan. I know you don't remember me right now, but I ain't gonna sit around and wait for your memory to come back. You live in Tokyo and your home . . your home is with Kenshin. Do you . .do you still remember Kenshin?"

Kaoru's eyes shook in trepidation. _Kenshin? _The name rung a bell in her head, but she couldn't place a finger on where she heard the name. Why did it seem so familiar to her? 

She knew she should be able to recognize the two of them. The tall spiky-haired man and the young boy. _But .. but why can't I remember them?_, she screamed in her head. 

Soujiro took a few steps and stood in front of the young woman protectively. She had lost her memory and he didn't like the way the man was berating her. He had no right to do that. "Sagara-san, I won't have you talking to Kao-chan in such a manner."

Sanosuke's eyes narrowed in anguish. "What the fuck do you mean?? I'm not gonna stand around here and have you be all lovey with our jou-chan. I won't have her be with someone the likes of you!!"

Soujiro's eyes widened at Sanosuke's accusations and he quickly went back with a smile masking the hidden emotions on his face. Kaoru's ki flared at the man's words and walked up and stood in front of the young man, her finger pointing at the spiky-haired man in anger.

"How dare you say that about Sou-chan! I won't have you saying those things about him!" she admonished.

Sano stood wide-eyed with Yahiko behind him. He clenched his fists until his knuckles became white. "I – I see that . .bastard has got you brainwashed," he seethed through his teeth as he glared at Soujiro. Kaoru stumbled back on her footsteps at the man's harsh words and clenched her jaw tightly. She took a step forward so that her eye was level to the man's chest. She looked up at him defiantly with her cheeks flushed in anger.

SLAP 

Sanosuke stood there in shock with a hand over his cheek. Brown eyes wide open at the woman in front of him he just stood there mouth open with nothing to say.

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The instant Kaoru's hand had come into contact with the taller man's cheek, she had felt sorry. Afterwards, she just looked at her hand in a sort of morbid amazement. She couldn't believe she had just done that on impulse. She looked back up at the man, her blue eyes glazing over a bit with tears. Kaoru slowly retracted her hand from Sanosuke and enclosed her other hand upon it as if it were some sort of being that needed to be caged.

She looked down upon the ground. "I . . I'm sorry." A drop of wetness fell onto the dirt floor.

Sano still stood there with Yahiko alongside of him. The young boy was in terrible shock. He had never seen his sensei slap someone before. Sure she punched people and hit people with flying objects and that infamous bokken, but .. but slap someone? Is Soujiro really that important to her?

Unbenownst to the young boy, tears began to fill up his eyes. 

The fact struck him.

Kaoru did not remember them.

She did not remember _him._

Yahiko was so sure that Kaoru would recognize him once they saw each other. He was the one that she intended to pass the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu to, but . . but. . Kaoru didn't know who he was. The entire year at the dojo she had spent teaching him, were they . . just like that . . forgotten? Erased from memory?

The young boy clenched his fist in anger as he stepped in front of Sanosuke so that he'd be in front of Kaoru. Her head was still bowed down in regret, but the boy didn't care.

"Oi!" he called out.

Kaoru looked up in bewilderment at the sudden loud noise and at the kid that was now in front of her. The fire and determination that the young boy had in his eyes at that moment just seemed .. so familiar to her in a way that she could not describe.

"You know," Yahiko started as he pointed his finger at the woman, "we know that you lost your memories and all that junk, but you're gonna get them back!! You will! So don't go off and make a life for yourself so quickly cuz . .cuz you still have a life with us!"

Kaoru looked wide-eyed at the young boy's spirited confession. A few tears came down from her cheeks and her smile grew. _She had to believe. Her memories will come back to her. Maybe she'll just need to work harder._

"Come on roosterhead, let's leave," the boy stated as he turned swiftly on his feet and grabbed Sanosuke's arm.

"But," Sano started.

"We've gotta give her time so she'll remember us again," he said sternly. 

When he walked a few feet away from her, he turned back on impulse. "Hey!" he called out. Kaoru looked towards him still stunned by what he had told her earlier. "You still have got to teach me the rest of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu! I won't give up until you do! You got that, busu?!" The boy turned back around and ran off with Sanosuke trailing behind him.

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The young woman looked over at Soujiro with a strained face. The kid had called her "busu." That voice! It was so familiar to her. "Sou-chan . . let's go home." Soujiro nodded as he looked at her with worry. As they began their trek home, thoughts and images flew through Kaoru's mind. She was determined and hopeful. She would remember everything about her past. 

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PANT, PANT 

Yahiko leaned against the tree with his hands over his knees, trying to regain back his normal breathing pattern. It was incredibly hard for him to have seen her and not brought her back. That was why he began running away from her. The boy understood that bringing her back now would do no good. Kaoru needed time to gather her thoughts. 

Yahiko sighed as he sat up against the tree. He noticed that he was beside a lake.

He smiled as it had reminded him of the small pond near the dojo back home in Tokyo. As he sat there, he heard something.

He looked over towards the sound with his bokken tightly gripped within his sweaty hands.

What he saw surprised him.

It was Kenshin.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks much! Sorry for the incredibly long delay in coming out with this chapter!  I had a lot of trouble writing it.  At first I thought that I would've been able to post it up the week after I posted up the last one (that's a laugh), but the situation with how Kenshin would feel after seeing Kaoru with another man and Sano and Yahiko's reaction was a bit hard to write and make it still in character. I didn't want Kenshin to come off as too depressed and "lifeless" when he saw Kaoru with Soujiro.

Also, the idea that Soujiro and Kaoru are siblings stems from the "Star Wars Trilogy." Lol .. for those of you who had mentioned that this reminded you of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. You were right. That's where I got the idea from. Anyway, for most of the story, I had already decided that Soujiro and Kaoru were brother and sister. There are actually many, many clues leading up to this: they were very vague so they could have been taken either way. =P Lol .. I'm glad that I had you all shocked/surprised about the revelation. 

But anyway, as I said before, the 'past' behind all of this will be revealed in the later chapters.

_Reader Responses_:

**Krys** – Hehe .. =D I know I ended on an evil cliffhanger for the last story. Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this one as well. =D Take care.

**Ryoga** – Thanks for the comments

**Chibi Fyrefly** – Sniff .. Kenshin was too sad to go after Kaoru in this chapter. Well, they'll see each other soon.

**MissBehavin** – Yup, they're siblings. ^_^. Anyway, I like your new story that you have out (the fairy tale with Hajime and Tokio). I haven't been able to be on ff.net much, but I'll be sure to read and review your chapters soon. =) 

**^_^** - Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

**Anabell** – Thanks =D I'm glad you still like the story so far. Take care.

**Poppy2** – Yeah, I liked the idea of Soujiro being Kaoru's brother. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing. Hope you have a great week.

**O.Juice** – Hi! Thanks so much for reviewing! =) =) =) Hehe .. you were right about the Soujiro/Kaoru thing seeming like the Luke Skywalker/Princess Leia thing. Lol. . that's where I got the idea from. Anyway, I hope you have a great week! I hope you update your fic soon! Sniff sniff. (I hope K/K make up soon!)

**Ichi** – Hehe .. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as well.

**CurlsofSerenity** – Hehe .. yeah, what a twist. =x .. Hmm . about Soujiro liking Kaoru. =/ .. I guess that's left up to our own imaginations. *dirty dirty. Lol ^_^

**Sailor-Earth13** – Thanks for the comments. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the chapter.

**Aimi-chan** – Hi! Sorry for the long wait in updating. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**GoldAngel2** – Hi. Thanks for reviewing and sorry for the long wait before updating. =) Hope you have a great week.

**Kago2350** – Thanks for the comments. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**Chibilee** – Hehe. . Yes, the wonders of the fanfiction universe. ^_^ Hehe. . anyway, it's so much fun reading your reviews! Thanks!

**Narutofan** – Thanks

**Saotome** – Hehe . .Thanks for the comments.

**Smiley** – Thanks for reviewing!

**Blue Rose4** – I'm glad you like the idea of Soujiro being Kaoru's brother. When I had first started writing this fic, I didn't want to hurt Soujiro. Sniff sniff. It'd be too sad.

**Kenshinfan** – Thanks for the comments! I'm so glad that you enjoy reading this story. =) =)

**Devotd-inu-fan** – Sorry for the long wait before updating this chapter. I'm glad that you like it so far. =D I hope you have a great week.

**Kaorudemonsamurai23** – Hehe .. wow what a long name =) Anyway, I'm glad you enjoy the story so far. I hope that this chapter cleared up the reason why Kenshin go out to see Kaoru.

**Shikai-sama** – Hello! Thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. Anyway, hehe.. when I said that I was going to write a Sou/Kao pairing .. it would be in another story. =D I don't think I'm gonna write an alternative ending for this one. lol .. incest. (ick ick ick!)

**OniTokage** – Hi! Thanks for your review! =D I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Hehe .. I totally understand what you mean about writing a page long review and having it all of a sudden be erased! Grr . .that's so annoying. Anyway, hope you have a great week and take care! (PS – Sorry for the long wait!)

**Shermaine, Chibi Sasuke** – Thanks for reviewing.

**Boomerang-chan** – Hello! Sorry for the long wait before updating this chapter. Hmm .. Soujiro and Kaoru as fraternal twins! =D Great idea. I'd love to read it! And the drawing .. if you've finished it, I would really love to see it! Could you email it to me? (idonnax0o7i@aol.com) Hehe. Thanks! Hope you have a great week!

**Monique** – Thanks for the uplifting comments. =D I'm really glad that you like the story so far. =)

**Princess of Darkness and me** – Hello. Haha. .it was Kenshin. You were right. =D 

**CrismHeart** - =) Thanks for reviewing and the great comments. [author blushes]. I'm sorry about the long wait for this chapter. =/ (hehe .. writer's block) Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.

**Beriath** – Hi. Thanks for your comments. Hehe .. I know the idea of Soujiro being Kaoru's brother seems quite sudden, but there are some hidden references alluding to this idea. =) But mainly, you'll just have to wait until the later chapters to find out how this came about. =)

**Doris** – Thanks for the comments. =D Haha . . maybe we can share Soujiro. 0_o .. that sounds kinda perverted. Lol..

**Noner_89** – Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as well.

**Star-Princess-Lily** – Hi! Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoy this story so far.

**Moderndaybattousai** – Hehe. I'm glad you enjoy this story! Good luck with your own!!! It's gone off at a great start so far.


	31. Meeting Part One

**Disclaimer: **Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me.

**Author's Notes: **Hi! This chapter is much shorter compared to the others, but I will update the next chapter pretty soon. ^_^ Thanks!

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 29**

PANT, PANT 

Yahiko leaned against the tree with his hands over his knees, trying to regain his normal breathing pattern. It was incredibly hard for him to have seen her and not brought her back. It was hard for the young boy to stay there and not hold onto her so he started running away. He understood that bringing her back now would do no good. Kaoru needed time to gather her thoughts. 

Yahiko sighed as he sat up against the tree. He noticed that he was beside a lake.

He smiled as it had reminded him of the small pond near the dojo back home in Tokyo. As he sat there, he heard something.

He looked over towards the sound with his bokken tightly gripped within his sweaty hands.

What he saw surprised him.

It was Kenshin.

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"Ken – shin?" Yahiko slurred out in an unsure tone as he crept quietly over to the lone figure. The man was crouched over tiredly in a sitting position with his head drooped between his knees. His crimson red hair was in disarray and it seemed to engulf the small man's entire being. The sound of the grass being crushed underneath the boy's sandals did not even stir him. It worried Yahiko. How could the man be so oblivious to everything around him?

"Kenshin!" Yahiko called louder this time with a worried look on his face.

The man did not even budge.

Out of sheer annoyance, Yahiko took out the bokken from behind his back and raised it up ready to knock back some consciousness into the Rurouni. 

SWISH 

Yahiko stood there wide-eyed frozen in fear. 

Amber eyes gazed back at him.

Kenshin's hand had stopped the bokken from making its mark just a couple of centimeters away from his head.

His hands began to shake. Cold sweat began to pour from Yahiko's forehead as he unconsciously took a step back. 

The man quickly shook his head as he closed his eyes tightly. When it reopened, the young boy saw that Kenshin's eyes had returned to its normal hue of lavender. He sighed out of relief. That was the second time he had seen the man's eyes turn amber, but it was the first time that it had been directed at him.

"Oro?"

Yahiko still stood there unsure of what to do. Both of their hands were still laced around the wooden bokken. Kenshin noticed first and quickly removed his hand and laughed to shake the feeling off. 

"Yahiko," he started as he looked down on the ground, "I'm . . I'm sorry."

The boy looked blankly at the man still shaken from before. It took him awhile to comprehend what had just happened and what the man had just said. A few minutes later, the words sunk in. Yahiko let out a hoarse laugh as he scratched the back of his head. 

"You had me scared there for a second, Kenshin," the boy said. _He's probably acting like this from all the stress about finding Kaoru. But! _Yahiko thought as a bright smile crept up on his face as he looked down at the man in front of him.

"Kenshin!" Yahiko almost shouted as he slid his bokken back in place behind his back. 

The man looked back up with a mournful look on his face. Yahiko shook the look off as he told him the good news. "We found Kaoru today! She looked great and . ." The boy was so lost in his outbursts that he didn't take notice of the fact that Kenshin did not seem surprised in the matter. After a few more minutes of rambling, Yahiko stopped and looked at Kenshin, waiting for his response.

The crimson-haired man just sat in the same position with his eyes directed to the ground.

Confused, Yahiko called out to him again, "Ken-shin? Did you hear what I said?"

The man looked up and smiled cheerfully with his eyes closed. "Hai, de gozaru yo. Sessha is very happy that Kaoru-dono is safe."

Silence.

Yahiko stood there aghast, the man didn't seem to be surprised by the news at all. He didn't even seem to be that excited about it. What was wrong with him? "Ano .. Kenshin .. don't you want to see her?"

Kenshin's smile faltered for a mere second before returning to its place. He slowly got up from his sitting position using his sword as a means for support. He looked at Yahiko as he slid his sword into his belt. "Sessha . . sessha will go see her, de gozaru ka."

The boy's face lit up in glee. _Once Kaoru sees Kenshin, she'll definitely remember everything!! _"Yosh! Let's go, Kenshin! Sano will be glad that you're there."

Kenshin nodded pleasantly as he began to walk alongside Yahiko with a heavy feeling over his heart. Yahiko had not mentioned it, but he knew from what the boy had told him that Kaoru's amnesia was still present. That .. she didn't remember the boy nor did she remember Sanosuke. He sighed silently as he took another step. The stone streets and buildings were coming back in view.

Visions continuously flashed through his head of the past that he had shared with Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke, and the others back in Tokyo. He had never taken those times for granted and when he had discovered that Kaoru was gone, he had always believed that once they had found her that things would turn back to normal again. 

He hadn't expected this.

An image of a boy with blue eyes and a smile flashed through his mind. The memories of fighting him when he was with Shishio, the boy's face right before he performed his own form of battoujutsu, and . . and . .the image that Kenshin was sure that would always be engraved in his heart. The image of Kaoru, _his Kaoru_, in Soujiro's arms.

Kenshin stopped walking as he clenched his eyelids closed.

Yahiko stopped in suit when he heard the soft crunching of gravel beneath Kenshin's sandals become silent. He turned back and looked at the older man. Worry sketched over Yahiko's face as he watched the man. There was something very different about him. The boy had noticed it the very first time when he found Kenshin sitting there by the tree. Something about him was . . missing.

"Daijoubu, Kenshin?"

The man nodded his head meekly as he began to take a step forward. "Daijoubu, Yahiko. Gomen."

The boy looked at the man awhile longer before deciding that everything was all right before moving on again. "I hope that rooster head will remember how to get to Kaoru's place."

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Soujiro paced back and forth within his small room. His head was hurting. _Kaoru. Kaoru had to have been friends with Himura-san_, he screamed within his head. He looked over to the side of the room towards the window where he saw Kaoru sitting underneath a large maple tree. A multitude of leaves were being blown around Kaoru and she sat there like an ephemeral beauty. A calm feeling was cast over the young boy's demeanor as he watched her.  Soujiro smiled.

_Was this the girl Himura-san had been staying with when he was in Tokyo?_, he thought to himself.

Soujiro watched her awhile longer before making the decision to go out and join her.

As he was about to take a step outside the door, he saw a man approach Kaoru.

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Kaoru sat on the moist grass running her fingers through her dark tresses as the wind picked up. So many thoughts and feelings were running through her mind. Her head was filled with that boy's words. The way that he had called her 'busu' of all things seemed just so . . just so right. A heart clenched a little in pain at the thought that she couldn't remember who they were or  . . .

Who she was.

"Hello."

Her eyes widened in shock as she jerked her head up to look at the man who had just addressed her.

And at that moment, soft lavender eyes met widened blue ones.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes**:

Please read and review! Thanks to all those that have reviewed! I really enjoy reading your comments and feedback on this story. ^_^ Thanks again! I didn't have time to reply to everyone so I'll make sure to do so in my next update. ^_^


	32. Meeting Part Two

**Disclaimer: **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony Productions. 

**Author's Notes: **Hi! Sorry for the long wait before updating. I was busy over Spring Break and also had a test the last week so I didn't have time to write. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy reading the chapter. 

**~ A Memory Forgotten ~**

**Chapter 30**

Kaoru sat on the moist grass running her fingers through her dark tresses as the wind picked up. So many thoughts and feelings were running through her mind. Her head was filled with that boy's words. The way that he had called her 'busu' of all things seemed just so . . just so right. A heart clenched a little in pain at the thought that she couldn't remember who they were or  . . .

Who she was.

"Hello."

Her eyes widened in shock as she jerked her head up to look at the man who had just addressed her.

And at that moment, soft lavender eyes met widened blue ones.

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_"Hello."_

Kaoru looked wide-eyed at the man who had just addressed her. He had purple eyes, long, red flowing hair, and a bright smile highlighting his face.  She felt mesmerized by his gaze and forgot that she had been staring at the man for quite awhile. Her face quickly heated up for she felt truly embarrassed for looking at a stranger for so long. She turned her eyes away from him and looked to the side, focusing her attention on some bushes from afar. A small embarrassed smile began to appear on her face.

"Ano ..  hello."

The man smiled at hearing her response. "Would you mind if I joined you?"

The girl felt her palms begin to sweat as she looked back up at the man. He had to have been the most handsome man she had ever seen, or could remember that is. She smiled and nodded her head shyly.

"Iie . . I don't mind."

In a uniform motion, the man took the katana from the back of his belt as he sat down next to her beside the large tree. The breeze picked up and the girl couldn't help but gaze at the sword in the man's hand.  The only other person she knew of that carried a sword by his side was Soujiro.

"Ano," the girl started as she looked at the object, "ano . . why do you carry a sword with you?"

The man smiled as he passed the sword to her.

The heavy feel of leather and wood from the sword was familiar to her as she took it from him. She carefully unsheathed the katana and her eyes widened. "The blade is reversed!" she gasped.

The man chuckled. "Hai de gozaru yo."

She looked over at him, her curiosity rising like a tidal wave. "But why would you carry a reversed-blade sword?"

"It's a sakabatou, de gozaru ka.  A long time ago I promised someone that I would not kill anymore, that I would use the sword to protect people instead."

"Oh," she said in awe as she turned the katana over to admire it some more. The rays from the sun cast bright gleams that danced on the blade. Kaoru thought over what the man had said and couldn't help but feel that she had heard those words before. She wondered why she felt so comfortable with the stranger that sat next to her.

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The man watched her with a small, forlorn smile playing on his lips. What great comfort and joy he felt as of now sitting next to the one that he had been looking for for so long. But at the same time the realization hurt, she did not remember him. There was no sign of familiarity when she had looked up at him. Not even a slight sign of recognition.

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Kaoru passed the sword carefully back to the man next to her.

"I wish more people had your kind of ideals," she said. "What is your name?"

A flicker of hurt passed in the man's lavender orbs. It did not go unnoticed by the young woman. 

"Kenshin," he said. "Himura Kenshin."

She smiled brightly as she turned towards him fully and bowed her head down a little. "Kamiya Kaoru. Nice to meet you Himura-san." She looked back up and saw that the man's eyes had become watery. Out of worry, she asked, "Himura-san .. daijoubu?"

The man's eyes widened and his face quickly changed from being melancholy to becoming cheerful. "H-hai. Daijoubu, . . ." He paused and then added silently, "Kaoru-dono."

Kaoru's eyes widened as he addressed her. _Kaoru-dono. _It was that name! That voice! The one that she had heard in her dreams for so many nights. She furrowed her eyebrows as she studied the man before her. "Himura-san . . ano . ."

"Sumimasen, demo . . demo . . if you don't mind, please call me Kenshin," he said as his serious lavender orbs bore into her own.

Kaoru blushed at the familiar way he wanted her to address him. They had just met a few minutes ago after all! She nodded her head and the man smiled. 

Kenshin smiled pleasantly as he nodded his head. The wind picked up and he noticed that a small strand of black hair had gotten loose from her bun. He reached over and tenderly put the strand behind her ear. Kaoru was completely still during the whole time watching the man. The way that he looked at her, the way that he lightly touched her sent shivers up her spine. A few long seconds passed before the man broke the trance.

"Kaoru-dono . . you were going to ask me something?"

Kaoru widened her eyes and felt her cheeks become hot again. _That's right, I wanted to ask him something. I can't believe I forgot. _"Ano ..," she started. Her fingers fiddled with the blades of grass underneath her as she continued. "Ano . . you seem so familiar. Have I met you from somewhere before?"

Kenshin's eyes widened a bit in surprise as his smile became a bit wider. "Sessha . .sessha."

"Hello."

A voice from behind broke the quiet conversation between the two.

Kaoru turned around so she could see who had called. Her face broke into a bright smile at seeing who had come. "Sou-chan," she said happily.

Soujiro only nodded as he took purposeful strides forward towards Kaoru's new companion. Kenshin's eyes followed the blue-eyed man steadily.  The smile that the young man had on his face was a bit different from that time he had fought him in Shishio's mansion. The boy politely bowed down as he took his place next to Kaoru.

_He's too close to her_, Kenshin thought protectively.

As Soujiro sat down, the young man turned to the red-haired man and smiled. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat. He blinked his eyes. He could have sworn Himura's eyes were gold just then. _It must have been a trick of the sun_, the young boy thought to himself.

"It's a pleasure seeing you again, Himura-san," Soujiro said cheerfully.

"I could say the same, Soujiro."

Kaoru's mouth opened into a surprised 'o'. "The both of you have met before?!" she gasped. Both of the men turned to look at her. One displaying a cheerful grin while the other slightly nodded at her realization. 

"Himura-san and I had met each other back in Japan."

"Oh," Kaoru said her eyes widening in understanding.

"How have you been and what brings you here to Shanghai, Himura-san?" the young man asked with a polite and thoughtful smile on his face. As Kenshin opened his mouth in response, Soujiro's eyes narrowed in interest. 

"I came to China to find someone important to me," he said assuredly as he lay his eyes on Kaoru for a long while. Kaoru felt herself blush. 

The blue-eyed man slowly nodded. "And have you found that person?" 

Kenshin looked over at the man and said, "I have . . and yet I haven't."

"Eto? What do you mean?" Kaoru asked befuddled by his answer.

The crimson-haired man looked over at the woman and smiled. 

Kaoru continually looked at Kenshin with puzzled eyes wondering exactly what he meant by those words. 

Soujiro looked between the two. By then he had put two and two together. From what had happened earlier with Sagara-san and now with Himura-san's appearance, he deduced that Kaoru was that _important person_ to Himura. He clenched his fists a little. He had been alone for so long and had always felt that he was missing something in his existence. That was until he had met Kaoru. Since meeting her, his emotions came to him more easily and he felt that he could live like a normal person. He could cope with his past and accepted it as a part of what molded him.

Now that Himura was here, he would lose that sense of security and love. Soujiro looked over at the woman next to him. _Kao-chan .. I don't want to leave your side so quickly. Not this soon_, he said to himself. He looked over at the red-haired man who was steadily watching him and Soujiro felt a bit guilty. _Gomenasai, Himura-san. Just for a little while longer. Onegai._

Was it wrong for him to be just a little selfish?

"Kao-chan, it's getting dark. We should go back in."

The girl looked over at the younger man with a distraught face. "Demo," she began. Soujiro smiled as he motioned for her hand after he stood up. 

"Higurashi-san may get worried," Soujiro pressed in a somewhat urgent tone.

"Ano .." Kaoru looked over at Kenshin with sad eyes. She wanted to learn more about this stranger that she had just met. 

"Sumimasen, Himura-san. We can talk longer next time," Soujiro said as he bowed.

"H-hai," Kenshin replied with his eyes on Kaoru.

"It was nice meeting you, Himu . . I mean Kenshin," she said.

The man smiled enjoying the sound of his name on her lips. It had been a long time since he had heard her voice calling his name. "It was nice meeting you, Kaoru-dono."

The woman nodded her head quickly as she took Soujiro's  hand and got up and started walking back with him towards their "house." Kenshin lingered on watching Kaoru's figure moving away from him. As they were becoming to be close to out of sight, the man noticed that the girl had turned her head back around to look at him. He smiled. 

Maybe it wasn't too late.

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That night Kaoru felt herself staring out into the darkness above and around her. The sound crickets chirping outside her window and the rustling of leaves drowned out any silence from the room. She tossed and turned on her futon as she tried to make herself fall asleep. But sleep alluded her for her thoughts were filled with the events that afternoon.

The spiky-haired man and the young boy.

How happy they had been when they had seen her. She rubbed her forehead meticulously with the back of her hand as she forced herself to remember. _What happened in between the time my father had died and Sou-chan finding me? How come I can't remember?!_ _Those people had to have been important to me. Did they come all the way to China to search for me?_, she thought in awe.

Then she remembered an important detail about the meeting.

_Sou-chan! He recognized one of the men. He addressed him as "Sagara-san". _

Kaoru folded her arms above her blanket as she stared up into the ceiling. _Sou-chan had also met Kenshin before. _

"Ken-shin . ." she whispered softly into the dark.

Kaoru felt butterflies in her stomach as she remembered how the man would look at her. She didn't know why, but she felt somehow "secure" when she was with the man. She blushed at the thought that she was already thinking such thoughts towards someone who was a complete stranger to her. There was something about him though. Something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

_Why do I feel as if I've seen him from somewhere?_, she questioned herself in her thoughts. She had tried to bring up the matter to Soujiro during dinner, but he had lightly brushed it off and changed it to another topic. 

That night Kaoru tossed and turned on her futon, trying to find a comfortable position to fall asleep. She sighed. There were just too many thoughts going through her head and too many things that were a blur to her. She looked out the window and saw that day was about to break.

She sat up and 'hmphed'. There was no point to trying to go to sleep now when she would have to get up in an hour anyway. Kaoru stood up and fixed her yukata as she put on some slippers. _Maybe I can talk to Sou-chan and he'll tell me more about them. Maybe I'll remember something new._ She slid open the shoji door and softly padded her way through the hall towards Soujiro's room.

"Sou-chan?" she called out when she was at the front of his room. Kaoru quietly slid open the shoji door and tiptoed inside the area.

"Sou-chan?" she called out again in a louder voice as she made her way over to toward the center of the room.

The room was dark and quiet as she tread slowly over to Soujiro's futon. When she got there, she gasped in surprise.

It was empty.

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- To be continued

**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks I really appreciate the feedback. ^_^ I had more difficult than I had initially thought with this chapter. I don't like it that much, but that was all I could think to do with it. Perhaps I'll revise some parts later. ^_^ 

Thanks to all those who have reviewed! 

_Reader Responses:_

**Half breed fox** – Thanks for reviewing! Sorry for the wait in updating.

**Sailor-Earth 13** – I'm glad you enjoyed the other chapter. ^_^ Thanks for the review!

**Kago2350** – Hihi. Thanks for posting your comments! =D Hope you enjoyed this chapter

**Beriath** – Sorry for the long wait before updating, but this chapter is longer than the last one. ^_^

**Babo-chan** – Hello! I haven't heard from you in awhile. Umm . . the Aoshi/Kaoru story probably won't be posted until after I finish up this story. =/ so I'll probably post it over the summer.

**Oro Oreos 741** – Hello. I'm really glad you enjoy this story so far! It's always great to hear comments from you guys. ^_^

**Chibi Fyrefly** – hi. Sorry for the long wait before updating. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Ryoga** – Thanks again.

**S3r3nity** – Hihi. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!

**O.Juice** – Hi! Hehe. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the long wait before updating. Anyway, what's gonna happen in ur fic? ;P Please update yours soon!

**Baby Kaoru-sama** – Hello. Thanks for reading this story and thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them.

**Boomerang-chan** – Wah! Soujiro plushie?!?! *author looks frantically around for one.. Sigh. I want my own Soujiro plushie. ;P *starts poking B-chan to ask where she can get one. Hehehe

**Ariel**- Hi. I'm really glad you enjoy reading this story. ^_^ It's so great to hear feedback from you! Thanks!

**Kairi7**- Hi! Thanks for reviewing and reading the story. I'm glad you enjoy it so far! Btw, is your sn based on the girl from Kingdom Hearts? Hehe. .I love that game.

**Monique**- Hi! Sorry for the long wait before updating. I haven't had a time to check out your fic yet, but I promise I will very soon!! Keke. I've been pretty busy lately and haven't been able to go on ff.net much. =(

**Deman** – thanks for reviewing!

**Gypsy-chan** – Hi! Hehe. . I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Your comments make me blush. ^_^. Hope you enjoy this one also.

**GoldAngel2 – **Hello. =D Hmm .. Kenshin seems to be getting more confidence back now. =D There will be more action in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading this one!

**Missbehavin** – Hihi! Thanks again for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the chapter! ^_^ This story is finally coming close to a finish and all the questions will be answered. ^_^ As for how Kenshin will find out about Soujiro and Kaoru being siblings .. hmm .. that'll be a very fun scene to write!

**Doris** – Hello. Thanks for reviewing! Hmm. . the last chapter? .. I'm not exactly sure yet. It won't be that far away. Not too far away that is. ^_^

**Princess of Darkness and me** – Yup yup that is who you think it is! =D After 30 chapters, they finally meet again. Lol .. 

**Onitokage** – Hi hi! Thanks for your comments! I have so much fun reading them. ^_^ Well, yup Kaoru doesn't really remember Kenshin after meeting him, but she feels that he is somewhat familiar to her. =) Anyway, sorry for the long wait before updating! I have not been able to work on the other story much at all lately. I have part of the chapter written for the other one, but that's about it. =( .. I'll try to work on it some more this weekend.

**The sacred night**- Hi! *author blushes.Thanks for the comments! I sometimes have trouble trying to develop Kaoru's feelings about everything. =/ and Kenshin's of course. But anyway, I'm glad you like my efforts in describing their emotions. =)

**Kawaiililaznkitsune** – Hello. Yep, Kenshin has a chance with Kaoru. =) lol . . it would be a bit awkward if Sou/Kao still got together after knowing about their relationship. Anyway, I plan on writing a Sou/Kao fic sometime later. ^_^

**Moderndaybattousai** – Hehe. Kenshin and Kaoru finally meet . .after . . 30 chapters. Lol. .Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as well!

**Anabell** – Thanks for reviewing! Sorry for the long wait before updating!

**Tonomi aka ichi** – Hi! Sorry this chapter took so long before coming out. Hope you enjoyed it.

**Amanda** – Thanks for reading and I'm glad you enjoy the story so far! 

**Chibi_Nana** – Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the story and find it "in character." Anyway, yeah, how you imagined the scene between Kaoru and Kenshin was pretty much exactly what I had in mind. Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! 


	33. Under the Light of the Moon

**Disclaimer: **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and Sony Productions. I am simply borrowing the characters for use in this work of fanfiction.

**Author's Notes:** Hi! I finally have come out with another chapter of this story. Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks and please leave a review!

* * *

**A Memory Forgotten **

**Chapter 31**

**Under the Light of the Moon**

* * *

That night Kaoru tossed and turned on her futon, trying to find a comfortable position to fall asleep. She sighed. There were just too many thoughts going through her head and too many things that were a blur to her. She looked out the window and saw that day was about to break.

She sat up and 'hmphed'. There was no point to trying to go to sleep now when she would have to get up in an hour anyway. Kaoru stood up and fixed her yukata as she put on some slippers. _Maybe I can talk to Sou-chan and he'll tell me more about them. Maybe I'll remember something new._ She slid open the shoji door and softly padded her way through the hall towards Soujiro's room.

"Sou-chan?" she called out when she was at the front of his room. Kaoru quietly slid open the shoji door and tiptoed inside the area.

"Sou-chan?" she called out again in a louder voice as she made her way over to toward the center of the room.

The room was dark and quiet as she tread slowly over to Soujiro's futon. When she got there, she gasped in surprise.

It was empty.

* * *

Soujiro paced back and forth around the tree near the house with his head tilted towards the moonlit sky. The night breeze tickled the hairs in the back of his neck as he took a deep breath in contemplation of the last few days' events. He had learned that he had a father. A real father. Soujiro clenched his hands weakly as he shut his eyes for a brief moment.

The only memory of ever having a father was the man who had raised him in that house when he was still young. The man had never paid him much attention and Soujiro could only remember that when he learned that his father had died, the boy could feel no remorse. He thought back to those days with dullness in his eyes.

And now that he's found out that Higurashi Miroku was his true biological father, the boy didn't know what to do or what to think. He had grown up practically by himself and went through struggles with no one by his side. Soujiro had only known loneliness in his life until he met Kaoru. She was the one who showed him how to open up his feelings and she was the one that accepted him for who he was and believed that he was a good person. She gave him determination, will, and most important of all, hope.

"Kaoru," he whispered brokenly into the night.

_What should I do?, _he questioned himself. He knew how badly she wanted to know about her past and yet he knew at the same time that once she found out everything, she would go back to Tokyo.

And leave him.

Soujiro's heart ached as he thought of that prospect and crossed his arms in front of his chest. _I can't be so selfish. This is for her. _He looked up towards the window in which Kaoru's room was and sighed. His blue eyes twinkled underneath the shimmering moonlight as he thought back to the memories he had shared with her the past couple of months.

It was time to let her go.

Soujiro had seen the happiness and relief in Himura's eyes when he walked outside to meet them. But foremost, he could see that the red-haired man had truly loved his Kao-chan. He curled his fingers into a tight fist. There was no other way. He had to find Himura and bring him back and. . and .. he had to tell Kao-chan about the people that she had met today. Maybe if he could find them, they would be able to tell her about her past and she would be able to remember everything once more.

He looked back once more at the old house and turned around, his footsteps slowly making their way towards the gate.

_Thump._

_Thump._

Soujiro could feel his heartbeat become louder and louder as he walked outside of the gate. The drumming seemed deafening to him against the quiet night sky.

"HELP!"

The young man jerked his head up quickly as his ears picked up the shrill female voice. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed the sound of footsteps pounding on the ground was coming nearer towards his direction. His hand automatically reached for the hilt of his katana, ready for any attack.

_Pant, Pant, Pant_

Soujiro widened his eyes. It was a young woman who looked out of breath. He noticed that she was wearing a white qipao and her hair was in a mess. Her brown eyes were wide with fear and her pink lips were trembling as she ran over and grabbed a hold of the boy.

"Please help! There's someone," she said as she pointed in the direction in which she came from. She stopped to take a few breaths before continuing. "He's coming! Please help me!"

The young man nodded as he motioned for the woman to stand behind him. "Don't worry, miss. I'll handle this." The woman graciously obeyed as she made her way behind him. The boy's senses were all on alert, waiting for any motion of any sort. All he saw ahead of him was darkness. Something was wrong. It was an unlikely coincidence that he would run into another Japanese woman in Shanghai.

Then, he felt a sharp searing pain in the side of his body.

Soujiro widened his eyes as he turned around.

The woman that he had met was holding a small dagger within her hands. The faint traces of moonlight reflected the fresh dark blood stains on the blade.

"W-who are you? Wh-what do you want?" Soujiro gasped in pain as he clutched his side that was now beginning to bleed profusely.

The woman looked up at him with vivid fear displaying on her face. "Gomen. Gomen," she said in a shaky voice as she dropped the dagger and ran away. The boy watched as her figure became smaller and smaller. His eyelids began to droop as he forced himself to keep his eyes open.

_I've got to get back to Kaoru._

He staggered over towards the wall for support. With one hand pressed against his wound and one hand grasping the wall, Soujiro began to drag himself back home, a trail of blood following right behind him.

_Kaoru.___

_Please don't let it be too late._

* * *

Kaoru came out of Soujiro's room with a frantic look on her face. _Just where did Sou-chan go at this hour? Mou!_, she thought as she crossed her arms in front of her chest as she pouted her lips. She looked from side to side before deciding to check to see if the boy was outside in the yard. _How can he just go off at the night like this? It isn't like him!_

She slid opened the front door and a cool breeze came inside the room. She noticed that it was still a bit dark outside. Kaoru shivered and slipped on a pair of slippers as she took a step outside. The smell of fresh morning dew entered her nostrils as she breathed in the air around her. She smiled slightly at the feeling.

"Sou-chan!" she called out while cupping her hands around her mouth in an 'o' shape.

"Sou-chan!"

There was no response. Kaoru puckered her face into a frown. "Mou! Where are you, Sou-chan?!" she grumbled under her breath as she continued to tread through the grass towards the front gate. Her hair was still in a loose braid and she was still wearing a thin yukata, but that didn't bother her. The woman was worried. She had a bad feeling at the pit of her stomach when she saw that Soujiro wasn't in the room that early in the morning, the moon was still out.

At that moment, she saw something flash by in front of her eyes. The girl blinked and rubbed her eyes. _Maybe I'm seeing things since I didn't get much sleep last night_, she thought as she continued along the path.

All of a sudden one large hand was wrapped around her mouth and another arm was entwined around her waist. Kaoru tried to scream, but all that came out was a hardly audible muffled sound. The muscular person dragged her over towards the shadows underneath the large maple tree.

"Be quiet!" the voice harshly whispered.

Kaoru's eyes widened as she struggled within his grasp, kicking and punching as hard as she could.

Her offender only made his grip tighter, making it harder for the girl to breathe.

"Let her go," a stern voice said as it broke through the night sky.

Kaoru quickly twisted her head over towards the direction of the sound. The shadowy figure, she saw, had long hair tied in a loose ponytail and a petite, masculine body. His eyes glowed gold underneath the moon. She swallowed hard. _Who is he?_, she thought in alarm. She then noticed that the man who was holding her had loosened his grip after seeing the other man's sudden appearance. She thought quickly and jabbed him in the stomach with her right elbow with all her might.

"Oof!" the man cried out as he let her go for an instant. In that moment, Kaoru quickly started running as far away as she could from the man. But apparently it wasn't fast enough. She felt the man's hand grab onto her shoulder tightly. She screeched in pain and shock. Kaoru turned around and her eyes widened. The man had a sharp dagger clenched tightly within his other hand aimed and ready to kill her.

_Swish_

Kaoru shut her eyes in that instant.

_Thump_

The man's grip loosened and the girl opened her eyes little by little. Her blue eyes widened in shock at the sight that she saw. The man who had attacked her was now down on the ground. Dead. She looked up and saw that it was the same shadowy figure that she had seen earlier. Her breath caught in her throat. His golden eyes seemed to pierce her very soul. She took a step backwards unconsciously as she tried to steady her breathing.

The man who watched her suddenly shook his head fiercely and tightly shut his eyes. He then opened them back again. To her amazement and disbelief, the man didn't have golden eyes anymore. She gasped.

"Daijoubu, Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru stood there in shock as she recognized the voice. "Kenshin?"

"Hai," he said as he took a step closer towards her. His features were now highlighted by the light of the moon. She noticed how worried his lavender eyes looked as they scanned her body making sure that she was okay. His flame red hair was a mess and she noticed that his katana was re-sheathed and slid back into its place on his belt.

"Arigato, Kenshin," she said as she bowed. "Daijoubu." As she looked up, she noticed that the man's features were flushed with relief and he was smiling. She smiled. She hoped that she could see more of his smiles. Kaoru then looked over at the man who was on the ground.

"Is – is he?" she asked in a timid voice as she pointed over towards the limp body.

Kenshin chuckled. "Iie, you forget that I have a sakabatou, Kaoru-dono." Kaoru looked up and felt a wave of relief pass through her body. She remembered that the man had a non-killing oath and she didn't want to see him break it. She laughed heartily out of relief and happiness as she walked a couple of steps closer towards the man that had just saved her.

She stopped when she was only a few inches away from Kenshin's face. Kaoru looked up and smiled sweetly when she saw the warmth reverberate from the man's purple orbs. Being this close to him just felt right. His eyes captured her own and they looked and searched for one another's souls for what seemed like an eternity.

Kaoru blushed and out of embarrassment looked down at her feet. She clutched her hands in front of her. There was a long period of silence between the two before Kaoru realized something.

"Kenshin," she said as she looked back up, "What are you doing here? It's so late."

The man looked at her a bit surprised at her question and felt his face become hotter. The next second, his face broke into a large smile. "Ano . . sessha . . sessha . ." he stammered as he scratched the back of his head trying to come up with a logical explanation, "Sessha was out for a night stroll de gozaru ka."

The woman narrowed her eyes as she looked at the other. Kenshin smiled with embarrassment. "Well, I'm glad that you were here even if it is because you were out on a night stroll_ this late at night_," she said with a hint of playfulness.

"Oro?"

Kaoru laughed. The man looked at her with his soft lavender eyes. His heart warmed when he saw his Kaoru this happy. There was a period of time in China when he had lost hope of ever finding her. But here standing before him was Kaoru, the most important person to him. The person that he loved. He smiled.

Kaoru then felt a two warm hands enclose upon her own. He gently massaged her hands with his calloused thumbs.

"Kaoru-dono," he whispered as he looked into her sapphire eyes. The intensity of the look entranced her.

She felt one of his hands gently travel up her hands to her shoulders and finally landing ever so softly on her cheek. She slowly closed her eyes as she allowed herself to enjoy the delicate caress. Her senses tingled with excitement and her heart began to beat quickly as she felt the warmth of his breath draw closer toward her face.

Kaoru held her breath with anticipation as she tilted her face upwards towards his own.

"Kaoru!"

Kaoru opened her eyes and her head shot towards the gate. Her face paled instantly at the sight. There was Soujiro staggering at the front with his hand pressing tightly against his side. _Something's wrong with Sou-chan_, she thought in panic as she started making her way towards him unconsciously. Her footsteps picked up pace and before she knew it she was running.

"Sou-chan!" she cried out in fear. Her heart started to beat faster and faster as she came closer to him. Her eyes widened in shock when she noticed a dark stain on his gi where his hand was located.

"Sou-chan," she cried out again as tears began to blur her vision.

"Kao-chan," he murmured as his eyes began to close. "You."

Kaoru was finally beside him and before the young man fell, she caught him in her arms.

His cerulean blue eyes looked into her own watery eyes. "Kao-chan, you're all right. I'm glad," Soujiro said in a weak, tired voice. He smiled softly as his eyes fluttered to a close.

* * *

_A few hours later_

"Fujimoto-sama! Fujimoto-sama!" A short stubby man barged into the study with an excited look on his face.

A tall dark-haired man looked up from his desk towards the sound of voice. He furrowed his brows as he narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked with a lilt of annoyance.

"Fujimoto-sama," he panted out of breath, "we've found him. Higurashi Miroku."

From behind the short man, a petite sized woman with black hair and brown eyes stepped out and bowed. Fujimoto's eyes lit up when he noticed the crimson spots staining her white qipao.

"I've done your bidding, Fujimoto-sama."

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes:**

Please read and review! Thanks very much! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took this long to come out with this installation. I've been pretty busy the last month. Anyway, thanks very much to those who have reviewed! I really enjoy reading your feedback. I'm sorry I won't be able to respond to reviews at the end of each chapter anymore because of the new regulations set forth by ff.net. Though I will try to respond by email or such if you have any questions or anything. Thanks very much!

Also, if you have time check out "Saitou's Adventures in Babysitting." Hehe. It's only three chapters long. There are only two up right now. The third one will be posted soon.

After this fic, I plan to write a Kenshin/Kaoru/Sanosuke fic. Hehe. I think it will be fun. The story has been forming in my head for quite awhile now. Actually, I think I may post the story up before finishing this particular one.

On another unrelated note, if you have the time, you should watch a series called "Princess Tutu." This series was just beautiful and the plot was very intricate. I would recommend it to everyone. If you've seen "Utena", you're sure to like this one also.

**Qipao** – a Chinese style dress traditionally made of silk or sometimes cotton with a slit on the side.


	34. Important Note

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A Memory Forgotten 

Note

* * *

A bush of red hair pops out from behind the red curtain. The man looks left and right at the audience as he comes out. In his hands, he holds a piece of paper.

"KENSHIN!! We love you!!!"

The rabid onslaught of fangirls screaming begins its attack.

"Ororororo . .Sessha is undeserving of your praise . ." Kenshin modestly looks down at the ground as he scratches his head, a bit discomforted by all the words of love.

"Kenshin!!! Make your eyes change color!!"

Kenshin looks up, surprised by the comment. "Eto . . sessha thinks that is not a very good idea, de gozaru yo."

"Kenshin!! Go Battousai!!"

"Yeah! Go Battousai!!"

Kenshin's eyes become swirly as he realizes what the fangirls want of him. "Oro . . go Battousai? Is that even the correct way of saying it, de gozaru yo?"

"I want to have your baby, Kenshin!!"

Kenshin's eyes grow round and almost seem to pop out from its sockets. His legs felt weak all of a sudden from all the embarrassment.

"HIMURA KEN—SHIN!!"

Kenshin looks behind him with fear in his eyes. Yes, fear. There was only one person that could bring about such cold feet and leave his heart thumping against his chest in this manner.

"Kaoru – dono?"

From behind the red curtain, Kaoru comes stomping up to him. Her face was flushed crimson with anger and embarrassment. She also had heard what the fangirls were saying. The woman grabs the sleeve of Kenshin's magenta gi and pulls on it while she looks at the audience.

"Kenshin is my husband! He belongs to me!! Back off!!" Kaoru shouted as she held on to his clothes.

Kenshin looks to the side and looks at Kaoru's flushed face. A warm feeling of happiness began to overtake his senses, his cheeks betraying his thoughts. Then he sees her turn around, flames of electric rage dancing in the blues of her eyes.

_Kaoru-dono seems to have extra energy today, de gozaru yo, _he thought.

"And Kenshin . . what are you doing standing around here!! You're supposed to read the author's note of apology!!" she accused as she pointed at the piece of paper clutched in Kenshin's hands. She released her grip on him as she stood outside waiting for Kenshin to finish up the letter.

The man looks down at the piece of paper and quickly realizes why he had come out in the first place. He clears his throat and opens up the letter.

The audience is silent, except for a few sounds of random coughing here and there, as Kenshin begins.

**A Note of Apology:**

_Dear Readers,_

_Sorry for the long delay in updating this story. I know I said that I would update again by the end of this month, however I'm finding it extremely difficult to come up with the next chapter. This is especially true since I have been working on "Possession". The two contrasting personalities in Kenshin in the both of these stories are definitely playing its number on how I characterize him in "A Memory Forgotten." For the readers of both of these stories, I'm sure you understand what I mean. The Kenshin in this story is much more truthful to the happy/angsty oro-ing rurouni of the anime series while the Kenshin in "Possession" is rather cold, aloof, and . .well, possessive._

_Since I'm almost done with "Possession", I've decided that I'll put this fic on hold until I finish that one. I'm really sorry to have disappointed you all by not updating in awhile, but just so that you know . . I do have an outline of the rest of this story and I will complete it. _

_I'm adding an excerpt of what to expect for the next chapter after this note._

_And thanks to all my readers who have been reading and reviewing this fic. You should know how much I enjoy reading your feedback. _

_Thanks again. I'll now have Kenshin compensate by giving all of you . . _

Kenshin's face begins to flush a dark, crimson read as he reads the next word. He quickly folds the letter back up and stuffs it back into his sleeve. Kaoru eyes him a bit awkwardly.

"Compensate by doing what?" A random fanboy shouts from the audience.

"Oro . . by . . the author wants sessha to . . . to . ." Kenshin fumbles with his words as he tries to find some sort of lie to cover up the truth. "She wants sessha to . . to .. cook for everyone!"

The audience looks at the man in the front a bit queerly, but happily agrees anyway. Who wouldn't want to have some of Kenshin's homemade cooking?

Kaoru looks over at Kenshin and looks at him worriedly as she whispered, "But Kenshin . . I don't think we have enough food."

The man then whispers to her quietly enough so that the others won't hear. "Demo . . the author wants sessha to go hug everyone."

Blue eyes widened at what she heard and a feeling of possessiveness began to fill her senses.

"Kenshin . . what shall we make? Onigiri?" Kaoru asked as she brushed the matter aside.

"Ororo . . maybe it's better if I just make the food, de gozaru yo. Why don't you rest, Kaoru-dono?"

-_END_

* * *

**Excerpt from next chapter:**

Seeing that the doctor had left, Kenshin quickly began walking into the small house, wondering about how Soujiro was doing. Right as he was about to slide open the door, he heard Soujiro's voice.

"Kao-chan . . . Kao-chan . . please don't . . please don't leave me," he said weakly.

Kenshin widened his eyes as he felt his heart stop. Did Soujiro fall in love with his Kaoru? He stood there, anticipating with both fear and anxiety, as he waited for her response.

"I won't leave you Sou-chan . . ." Kaoru said with determination.

The lavender-eyed man who had heard every word she had said felt his heart shatter into pieces.

_Kaoru-dono . . Kaoru-dono loves Soujiro after all . . ._

_I was too late._

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Thanks for reading!

Special thanks to Ryoga, chibi-nana, kitty12perfecto, Mizu no Yami, Eternal-Senshi-S, Alex, Sailor-Earth13, Mute, ariel, MissBehavin, lookingatglass, saotome, De Lazy Lime, Gypsy-chan, the sacred night, Kyosnekozukigirl, chibi frog, Haruka, Aimi-chan, flaming-amber, Alex, MSN-chan, soujiro sweet, Sapphire, Nichi-chan, JouChan, Vejitagurl, VixenPI, O.Juice, KenshinSoujiro's Girl, kithana, and Kaoru4 for reviewing!!! Thanks so much!!!


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